A Rival Story
by SofiaDragon
Summary: Hikaru met Sai at ten years old, but fell terribly ill. Fast forward two years: When he meets Toya Akira things go a little differently. References the back story volume, follows canon time line but is AU.
1. A Different Beginning

**_A Rival Story_**

by Sofia Dragon

**A Different Beginning**

Hikaru walked out of the train station, nearly bouncing with excitement. After two years in a hospital bed and a month of his mother's overbearing, overprotective presence he was finally allowed out and about on his own steam. It was his father's doing, and he was glad the man believed boys needed the freedom to make mistakes before they could learn anything about life. Hikaru wasn't out alone, though no one knew about his companion. The thousand-year old ghost was currently urging Hikaru toward a building jut in front of the train station.

"Look! Look, it say's 'Go,' Hikaru. It says 'Go!' Let's go inside!" Sai's elated voice called to the 12 year old boy. The ghost, who looked to be in his late twenties, was jumping around like a five year old. Tied to Hikaru's consciousness, he had been just as cooped up as Hikaru with the added drawback of only being able to converse with the young boy. No one else could see the flamboyant man with long black hair and indigo-black eyes, or hear him pitch his voice as high as his more solid compatriot. His gentle, perhaps beautiful, features were lit by the bright afternoon sun, but so was the young boy next to him as he cast no shadow.

Hikaru walked past the elevator – he'd had quite enough of waiting around doing nothing thank you very much – and took the stairs up to The Go Parlor, making a crack about the unoriginal name along the way. His grandfather had told him such places existed when he saw Hikaru playing Go online in the hospital room. Well, to be more precise, Hikaru's grandfather had exploded into a rant about how Go was a social game intended to be played with other people, preferably friends and rivals, in a cozy setting. The boy smiled as he reached the door to the parlor. From the outside it looked clean, respectable, and not at all like the smoke hazed places his mother complained about.

He took a moment to make himself presentable. Sai had told him so much about playing Go in the Imperial Palace, that the very idea of Go conjured images of high-class ladies and gentlemen having tea and wearing elaborate kimonos. He ran a comb through his long bleach-blond bangs and short black hair, straightening it after the experience of public transportation had tossed it around. He was wearing his best yellow soccer jersey with his favorite number on it and a long-sleeved black turtleneck underneath to hide the remaining marks the doctors left on him. He figured he was neat and clean enough for a casual place, so he tucked his comb back in his bag and walked inside.

The parlor was painted in shades of very light blue. It was so clean even his overprotective mother would approve. A young woman stood behind a counter in an apron. Her nametag read 'Ichikawa Harumi.' Hikaru had gotten good at spotting the little plastic tags from the constantly-changing guard of nurses and doctors he'd had to deal with. She was kind of cute with short cropped hair.

"Hello, is this your first time in a Go Salon?" she asked, and Hikaru realized he was looking around like he'd stepped onto an alien planet.

"Yep," Hikaru chirped, resisting a flinch as a phantom fan smacked the back of his head. Sai took it as a personal offence that Hikaru had such poor manners and had taken it upon himself to correct Hikaru's speech patterns. "I have played Go on the 'net a few times, Ichikawa-san," he continued, hoping to do a little better. It didn't exactly hurt when the fan smacked into the only solid object it could affect, but it did bother him enough to not want to get hit again. "Are there just older people here?" he asked sadly, looking at all the old men bent over table boards.

"Well, there is a boy who came in a while ago, but he and Toya-kun are playing each other." Ichikawa-san replied apologetically. "They should be done soon, but…"

"I can wait," Hikaru assured. "I'd rather play someone closer to my age than my grandpa's."

"How strong are you?" she set down a pen next to a clipboard with a sign-in sheet and gestured at a younger man who was explaining something to two of the old men. The young man looked over and nodded.

"I don't really know. I started to learn two years ago, but I've been in the hospital so…," Hikaru explained. He couldn't say that he'd been haunted by a Go obsessed ghost from the Heian era nobility and had been tutored by said ghost in everything from literature and poetry to history and economics. Sai had put all the blame for Hikaru's condition and subsequent inability to attend normal school on himself, and dramatically proclaimed it was his god-given duty to see that Hikaru grew in to a healthy, educated, and proper young man.

"Ashiwara-san can test your kyu level, and if you plan on coming often we can set up a score card for you. What is your name?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm Shindo Hikaru," he blurted out, trying to block out Sai's lament of his manners.

"Well, write it in here. The student fee is 500 yen," she explained, urging the young man from before to come over. The cheerful-looking adult was a good twenty years younger than anyone else Hikaru could see, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He plopped his coin down on the counter.

"I kind of wish I could play another kid, though," he mumbled, barely remembering not to say 'kinda' even to himself. "I hang around adults all day already."

"That's understandable," the young man agreed from right behind him. Hikaru jumped; startled that he'd been crept up on so suddenly. The man looked like he was about to continue with some sort of consolation, but the sudden sound of a hand slamming on wood and voices straining with barely contained emotions interrupted him. Hikaru looked around the corner for the first time and saw a boy about his age with curly black hair thrusting himself out of a chair and ignoring whatever the other boy was saying. The other boy, soft-spoken with longer steel-straight black hair, seemed really disappointed and hurt. Hikaru wasn't great with emotions, but he had seen the look on his doctor's and family's faces often enough to recognize it. Normally it would pop up after he said or did something that made it terribly obvious he was still struggling with the after-effects of his illness.

"What poor sportsmanship!" Sai lamented in his typical emotional voice. "I was watching, and that rude boy is storming away just because he lost a game. Hikaru, play that boy! Play him and show him how a graceful player acts – in victory or defeat!" That was always a big deal to Sai. It wasn't important if you won a game or not, it was how you played that mattered most. It figured, since Sai invariably won. Hikaru had been forced to get good at losing gracefully.

"You must be a really terrible player," Hikaru growled as the boy drew even with him. It wasn't just Sai's indignation, Hikaru hated the guys on the 'net who cut off a game after losing a few stones since there was no thrill of a proper victory in the aborted mess they tended to leave behind. The two employees (he thought they were both employees) tried to stop him, but he kept going. "Only the worst players storm off like that after a loss."

"What did you say? I'm the child Meijin tournament winner. Who the hell are you?!" the boy shouted.

"I'm Shindo Hikaru, and I don't care who you are, if you act like that you suck." It was brutal language, and Sai disapproved, but the ghost agreed with the sentiment too much to mention it. Hikaru figured he'd be lectured later; Sai might act carefree, but he didn't let things slide when he knew Hikaru knew better.

"Uh, perhaps you should calm down," Ashiwara offered and was ignored.

"Then how about I show you?" The boy grabbed Hikaru's arm and pulled him back into the room.

"Rude much?" Shindo asked, aware of the current hypocrisy but unable to contain himself, "This is what I mean: you are a bad player."

"I'll show you how strong I am. Nigiri." The boy grabbed some white stones out to the wooden cup. Shindo blinked at him.

"Do what?" Hikaru mumbled.

"It means 'choose for color.' This is how you decide who will be black or white in an even game without the magic box making a random choice. Put down one or two black stones, you are trying to guess if he has an odd or even number of stones in his hand right now," Sai supplied. "When we play I give you a handicap so you have to go first."

"Oh, yeah…." Hikaru pulled out a single black stone and set it down on the board. The boy dropped his stones and lined them up in two rows. There were nine. "Please," Hikaru said and bowed as Sai had taught him to, even if the opponent was on the other side of the internet. The other boy didn't bother and just glared at him until Hikaru set down his first stone.

"Are you playing around?" the boy asked. He clicked the white stone down with a flourish, holding it between two fingers. Hikaru picked up his next stone, wondering how you could possibly hold a stone between your fingertips like that. He dropped the stone down in another corner of the board. "Hahaha… you can't even hold the stones right and you say I'm a bad player?"

"Who cares how I hold my stones?" Hikaru asked. "I'm talking about your attitude. Poor sportsmanship has no excuse." They played a few more hands, the curly-haired boy snapping his stones down with an authoritative _pa-chi_, while Hikaru's stones dribbled onto the board awkwardly.

"Don't let it bother you, Hikaru," Sai assured him, "The magnetic board we used was too small for me to teach you to hold the stones properly, but you are more than strong enough now to beat this boy. He is a very strong player, but I've taught you better than this arrogant, over aggressive style." The other boy, who Hikaru had forgotten about for a moment, pulled up a chair to watch the game after a minute.

"Ichikawa-san said you'd never been in a Go salon before," he said very quietly. "You don't have to do this."

"Someone has to," Hikaru turned to the boy, noticing his eyes were an odd aqua shade. He was tempted to ask if they were contacts, the color was so vivid. "It's a matter of honor. If I lose I will bow to my opponent and thank him for the game, not toss my stones in the bowl as fast as I can and treat him like a piece of crap. If someone is better than me they deserve respect. Winning is secondary to enjoying the game; games are supposed to be fun." He set down another wobbly stone after a glance at the board. "By the way, I've already said I'm Shindo. What are your names?"

"I'm Toya Akira," the quiet, long haired boy said with a shy smile.

"I'm Isobe Hideki, and I think you're an idiot," the curly-haired boy fumed, "Only weaklings believe all that warm fuzzy nonsense; the world of Go is cutthroat." Sai was desperately trying to hit the boy with his fan for the terrible blasphemy he'd spouted.

"That's sad," was all Hikaru could force himself to say without bursting into laughter at Sai's antics. The ghost then turned on Hikaru for not properly repeating the long speech about the importance of proper attitude and respect. '_Sai, you're going to make me mess up._'

"Oh, sorry," Sai apologized. He looked back down at the board, suddenly serious as he read deeply into the patterns of white and black stones. Hikaru took some time on his next move, not wanting to disappoint Sai. When he set down his next wobbly black stone he saw the ghost's face bloom into a brilliant smile. Hikaru was getting good at problems of life and death. It took a while, but after a time the curly-haired boy started looking desperately around the board, searching for something that Hikaru had forgotten or left exposed.

"What? You're just messing around aren't you? You are dropping your stones onto the board like a baby, just to make me look like a fool. I don't have to stay here and take this!" Isobe stored out without even clearing away his stones.

"I said 'who cares how I hold my stones;' all that matters is where I put them. Man, what a temper," Hikaru groaned, "Though, that's a case of the pot calling the kettle black, I suppose." Hikaru giggled, scratching the back of his head.

"That was great." Hikaru expected it to be Sai, but it was the quiet boy in the preppy uniform.

"Ah, thanks, Toya-kun," Hikaru blushed, unused to praise from anyone not biased by the experience of sharing a brain. "Want to play?"

"Yes, please," the thin boy jumped into the chair opposite him. They chose for color and bowed. Toya's eyes sharpened as he set down the first stone. Hikaru answered quickly and after a few hands the two boys were settled into a game of speed Go. Ashiwara and Ichikawa watched from the counter as the hands passed quickly over the board.

"Looks like Toya-kun found a good friend after all," the clerk commented.

"Seems so, but I'm not sure… I wish I could have watched his whole game with that other boy, but Kitajima wanted a teaching game before he had to head home. He could barely hold the stones. I wonder if a friendship can really form over the goban between a complete novice and a high-level player like Akira-kun," Ashiwara sighed.

"He said he played on the internet, and something about a hospital. Perhaps he never learned to handle the stones properly," she wondered aloud.

"Oh? Well, I suppose I should go over and look at the game; maybe help with the fallout in any case. A fiery personality like that isn't going to do well getting crushed by Akira-kun, no matter what he says about fair play," the perpetually chipper man mused.


	2. A Shattering Game

A Shattering Game

"Hikaru, I want to play too!" Sai moaned after Toya placed his second hand.

_'Sai, if I suddenly get a lot better and then drop back down to my level it will look weird,'_ Hikaru thought at the spirit. _'I do not want to end up as some scientist's thesis!'_ The hospital hadn't really had much in the way of entertainment for a previously soccer-obsessed ten year old boy, and the TV in the 'play room' the hospital brought the non-contagious kids to was stuck on educational programming. Shindo had watched a special on the mysteries of the mind. He'd been tempted to just tell the doctors he was hallucinating a childlike ghost, but the idea of being studied any more than he already was, and some of the methods he'd seen on the program, had shut him up better than anything could have.

"Then let me put down a few stones. Just a few! I want to see how good this boy really is, as a test of his abilities," Sai begged. Hikaru could never deny the spirit much, so he agreed.

_'Alright, you can play __as much as __every other hand, but __only as much as you have to. T__his is Speed Go and you've been distracting me though the whole opening!__ I don't have time to count coordinate points._' Hikaru huffed as he set down a stone he knew was in a bad place, but couldn't come up with a better option in the fast-paced timeframe.

"Then I'll just point with my fan," the suddenly cheery ghost replied and found a brilliant place to counter the stone Toya put down to attack the weak hand Shindo had played.

Ashiwara walked over and looked down at the one-sided game he had fully expected to see. The light that had shone in Akira's eyes had dulled as he played the disappointing game. He felt sorry for his young friend. He had no one to challenge him… What was this though? The middle game was about half over and suddenly things were turning around. Shindo was coming back from behind at an alarming rate, the large gap between them dwindling. Moving into the end game the sporadic insights seemed to come together into a more cohesive and sable ability, like an engine sputtering and struggling before suddenly roaring to life. A few moves that seemed rather poor earlier were suddenly critical points.

"After komi you win by 3 and a half points," Hikaru declared when it was over. _'I caught on to what you were doing in the end game, didn't I, Sai?'_

"Yes, you did," Sai smiled at his young student. "Thank you for letting me guide you along in this game, some of your moves inspired me, and your opponent is no weakling either. That such wonderful children exist, and that you could meet like this… God is truly guiding our actions this day!" Sai waxed poetic about the perfection of Go and Hikaru tuned him out. Sometimes the old ghost could be a little much. Sai had only played about ten or fifteen hands over the course of the game, and Hikaru thought he could take credit for the game with little trouble.

"How… how did you do that?" Toya was looking down at the board like the stones had started dancing a jig.

"It was a very impressive comeback!" Ashiwara announced his presence over the goban.

"I'm not so great at the opening game. People on the 'net are always telling me my opening moves are a hundred years out of style, but I'm great at life and death. I do lots of puzzles and small-board games, since I can't always get a good game in between my tutors and doctors dragging me from one kind of test to another." Hikaru tried to play it off, but had a bad feeling. Toya looked like he was going to cry, and he didn't want that.

"Are you very sick?" It was the man asking. What had the clerk called him?

"I'm getting better, Ashiwara-san, thank you for asking. I passed out in my grandpa's attic when I was helping him put some things away in the summer heat two years ago." It hadn't been the heat that had made Hikaru pass out, it was the sudden appearance of a certain ghost, but no one needed to know that. "I fell into a box behind me that had a bunch of old rusty tools and stuff. I got a really bad infection, and it triggered some kind of auto-immune response. I've been living in the hospital for about two years, but I got out about a month ago."

"You learned to play Go while in the hospital, then. One of the doctors taught you?"

"Nah," Hikaru shook his head, and flinched when his casual language was criticized. "I got a laptop computer so I could do my school work and send it to teachers without going to a school building. I found NetGo, and taught myself how to play by doing life and death puzzles on it. Then I started playing actual games online. My grandpa found out, and told me he used to be a big amateur tournament player once upon a time. He started coming to the hospital to play with me on a little magnetic board every other week or so, and he got me a book about Honinbo Shusaku."

"You want me to believe you taught yourself by playing occasionally? No way; I study every day!" Toya asked, stunned. In the background Sai was being unnecessarily noisy again.

"Well, the people I play online teach me things. We can discuss the games after, if they have time and they speak Japanese. I caught a European pro once, and it was an amazing game – I was totally creamed – but I couldn't talk to him after 'cause I couldn't understand what he wrote. One of the nurses told me later his message probably meant 'good try, keep learning' but she wasn't sure." Hikaru was babbling, but he couldn't help it. Toya looked like he was trapped between the urge to punch him in the face and the urge to burst into tears. As wimpy and geeky as Toya looked, he seemed to be leaning more towards the first choice.

A sudden, piercing tone cut through the conversation.

"Um, that's me. I have to go, so bye!" Hikaru scooped up his bag and ran. His pump, a medical device clipped to his belt that fed him little dips of medication, squealed a few more times before he got to sit down on the train. He pulled a fresh cartridge out of his bag and popped it in to replace the spent one; glad the little thing gave him an out. It was a headache sometimes, but better than carrying around an IV drip or giving himself larger injections throughout the day.

'_No one can know I have a formal tutor, Sai. You know what they'd do to me if they found out about you!'_ Hikaru thought at the emotional spirit.

"I know, and I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused," Sai murmured from behind his fan. He always got emotional when Hikaru's illness was involved. He considered himself solely responsible for everything.

_'It's not your fault, Sai. You didn't make me sick,_' Hikaru offered, _'__My__ body over reacted to an invading presence – an invading bacterial presence – and started attacking itself. You heard what my science teacher said about what makes people sick and what modern science has discovered. You absolutely had nothing to do with the way my body did what it did. Spirits do not cause sickness,'_ Hikaru proudly proclaimed. It had taken him a lot of effort to understand what was wrong with him. Even if he couldn't remember the exact names of the illnesses that the doctors had decided he had; he had a solid hold on the cause and effect explanation he'd been given: one problem complicating or causing another on down the line. He'd broken his leg when he fell down the attic stairs, and the tools his grandfather had been preparing to throw out were the worst thing he could have landed on. He'd picked up more than one bug from that, and while the doctors treated one thing the other one had a free ride. It was complicated, it was messy, and at some point his immune system gave up trying. White flag waving, Hikaru was in a terrible state for about six months, during which he lived in a clean room and slept almost all day. That was when Sai decided his third chance at life wasn't worth the suffering he had caused.

Just after Hikaru's eleventh birthday he'd started getting better. The medications had fought off the swampy mess that moved in when his immune system stopped policing his body, and he was well enough to spend more hours of the day awake than asleep. By that time he'd been with Sai for nearly a year and the ghost had already infused Hikaru with a fair understanding of Go. Mostly they had played in Hikaru's lucid dreams. In the watercolor recreation of the opulent palace that Sai's stories had imprinted into Hikaru's drugged mind the pair could sit across a goban from one another. Even when he was at his worst, awake and aware for only a few minutes at a time, Hikaru could walk into that blurry place where the only sharp lines were on the goban and Sai would walk in with his flowing sleeves and fluttering fan and they would play a game together.

When he was awake, they played using the grid-patterned sheets his mother brought him to make the room less white, since he had no board at first. In place of stones he used the building blocks the nurses had given him to play with. Black was all the cool colors and white was warm ones, and sometimes they ran out of blocks or Hikaru shifted under the sheet, destroying the game. At Christmas he'd gotten a cheap magnetic board and played Sai there. Shortly after that New Year Hikaru got his laptop, and he got an account for Sai on the internet so the ghost could play real games. The program he downloaded had a place to recreate games not played online, and they could use that to play each other with Hikaru clicking the mouse for both of them. It was less bother than the cheap plastic toy.

Sai didn't just teach Hikaru about Go in his watercolor palace. He'd shown Hikaru calligraphy and recited what parts of the Tale of Genji he could remember. He insisted that Hikaru would not miss out on his chance at life, so long as the doctors said there was hope. When Hikaru was bored, Sai could always come up with something to talk about even if it was usually about a certain board game.

Hikaru was pulled out of his thoughts as the train reached his stop. He gathered his bag and depressed ghost and headed home. His parents were at the kitchen table waiting with dinner. His mother immediately started in asking him how he felt. Was he tired? Did he have any trouble with his pump? Did a meteor fall from the sky and incinerate him on the way home? Could pigs fly?

"I'm fine, mom, really. I went to a Go salon and there were a couple of kids my age there. The people who worked there were very nice. I changed the cartridge in my pump." Hikaru pulled out the empty one and handed it to his mother.

"Did you have any trouble?" Mitsuko asked, concerned.

"No, I changed it and came home."

"The nurses made sure he knew how to do it right before they let him out of the hospital, didn't they? Let the boy be," Masao stood up to ruffle his son's hair. "You'd tell us straight away if you had a problem. So did you win?"

"I won the first game; it was against this really bad sport. I challenged him because he was treating the other guy, Toya-kun, like crap after Toya-kun beat him. I lost against Toya-kun too. It started out as a total slaughter, but it was a close game at the end. He's really strong, but kind of geeky. He was wearing his school uniform today, and it's Saturday!"

"Lots of schools have classes on Saturdays. If you pass the entrance exam, the private Jr. High I want you to go to has Saturday classes," Masao explained.

"Oh, Masao… I don't know if Hikaru could keep up in that kind of school. Kaio is rather advanced…," Mitsuko worried.

"Can't I go to Haze?" Hikaru asked. "Everyone I know is going there."

"I know you want to go with your old soccer buddies, and Haze does have a good sports program, but Kaio has excellent activities with the best advisors. I'm going to have to side with your mother about you playing soccer, Hikaru. You were a great player, but that's in the past," Masao laid down the law. It didn't happen often, but when Hikaru's father spoke about how things were going to be, the laws of nature prepared to bend to his will. It was the flip side to Masao's loose parenting style: Those few rules his father did lay down were etched in stone. "Those tutors you had in the hospital said that your main problem was motivation. You're a smart kid, when you want to be, but you have this nasty habit of not being curious enough to look at the big picture and figure out what it all means. That's just laziness, Hikaru, and I won't stand for it, understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. You can't be satisfied with what you know – you have to strive for better every day. That is the struggle all living men face: to better yourself every day. You need to be more aware of how much you do not know," Masao trailed off, at a loss for how to convey his full meaning. Sai was nodding behind him.

"You can apply to both schools, Hikaru, and we'll meet with the teachers to decide what's best for you together," Mrs. Shindo offered, knowing she would be having a talk about this later with her husband. The infuriating man wouldn't budge on his proclamation that Hikaru's life had been controlled too much by too many people already and that the boy needed to sort himself out. He was only twelve, for heaven's sake!

"Oh, by the way, your grandfather brought one of those boards over for you to play with. I put it on your bed – find a place for it to live after dinner," Masao said before digging into his fish, effectively stating his disinterest in further conversation.

"A real goban with stones instead of little plastic chips?" Hikaru asked, bouncing in his chair.

"Yes, he said you'd do better on a real board instead of that awkward toy the nurses gave you last Christmas," Mitsuko soothed, happy to see her son happy. When the nurses passed out the cheap charity toys in the hospital's play area Hikaru had traded a coloring set for the little goban, the little girl who unwrapped it almost as happy to be rid of it as he was to get it.

"It's not the quality of the board, it's the quality of the hand played on it," Hikaru echoed Sai's wise words, "but it'll be a lot easier and more fun to play on a real board!" After eating twice as much as his mother thought he could, Hikaru raced up the stairs to set up the goban and play with his very excited friendly ghost.

"He's a fine boy, Mitsuko. He couldn't dash up the stairs like that if he wasn't, and my office pals said Go's a thinker's game, and a highly competitive one at that. With the way his body's been these last two years, it's no wonder his fighting spirit found a new outlet," Masao said from behind his newspaper. "If that ancient strategy game's got him interested in history as well, then it can only be a good thing. Put a fire in him, it's just what he needs."

"It's just… He's our fragile little boy and I don't know where he got the idea. Dad didn't teach him, and his tutor showed him that website after he was already obsessed…," she lamented. "I understood sports, but this…."

"Little boys are made of rubber bands and craft glue. Sure, he had a scary patch, but he's bounced back good as new. Another few months and they can take that pump off him. We just make sure he keeps to his physical therapy sessions and doesn't get too distracted from his studies. Honestly, he's the same with Go now as he was with soccer before the accident… calling it an obsession is just plain silly." His wife shook her head at him, but he couldn't see from behind his newspaper


	3. Key Points

Key Points

Hikaru walked out of the subway, checking the street name against the notes in his hand. He'd cheered Sai up a lot by playing on his new board with him and on the 'net late into the night over the last few days, though his mother had complained about him staying up. Just because he was still being home schooled didn't mean he could stay in bed until noon because he wanted to play Go until two in the morning. Sai played a lot of games on the 'net, but Hikaru had a separate account for himself as well. '5hindo' wasn't quite as in demand for games as Sai was, but Hikaru didn't just want to watch Sai play. It might have been tons of fun to watch Sai decimate one opponent after another, but nothing beat the thrill of his own victories. Sai almost seemed more excited when Hikaru won a tough game than when he won himself. One of 5hindo's opponents had chatted with him about a children's Go tournament being held today. The directions were a little sketchy. It was supposed to be in the Go Institute, and that sounded like a big place that everyone in the area would know about. Tokyo was a big city, but if you got close enough a shop owner would absolutely be able to point you the right way.

"I wonder what the Go Institute will be like," Sai said.

"The website made it seem like a school… I didn't know a place like this existed," Hikaru admitted as he realized he was right in front of the building.

"Well, let's go inside!" Sai crowed, urging Hikaru along. The pair, one visible and one not, hurried inside and followed the signs leading to the tournament hall. Sai's attention was captured by a TV screen they passed by. Two older men were sitting in a traditional room playing Go on the screen.

"Who is that?" Hikaru asked a woman watching the broadcast at Sai's insistence.

"That's Toya Meijin," the old woman told him. "They say he's the best Go player alive today, and he holds three titles." She smiled at him. "I suppose you don't know him because you're here with a brother or sister of yours?"

"No, ma'am, I'm here by myself. I wanted to watch the tournament."

"Oh, so you just started learning Go?" She seemed pleased.

"Well, I learned to play on the internet, but I don't know anything about other Go players. It's all anonymous online." He shrugged, trying his best to be polite to the old woman.

"Well, why don't you stay here and watch the Meijin with me a while? The tournament rounds won't start for a half hour yet, and I can fill you in about recent events."

"Alright, thank you," Hikaru had no choice but to agree according to the look Sai was giving him. It was just as well. Hikaru wasn't going to stop playing Go anytime soon, so he should get to know a bit more about the people in the business. He'd never considered professional Go players before. He could have as much fun as he liked on the 'net, so he didn't see the point. Sai seemed agitated at Hikaru's line of thinking, but since Hikaru was playing along for his sake he didn't say anything. The woman told him about some of the recent title matches, but seemed more interested in the player's marital status than their abilities.

When the tournament started it took some effort to tear Sai away from the TV screen. Hikaru was resolved that watching one game on closed circuit TV between some dusty old men couldn't compete with watching a roomful of games played by people his own age. The hall was filled with children playing Go, something Hikaru had never seen. Even online, most of the people he played turned out to be a lot older than him. Parents were all gathered on one side of the room, and Hikaru had to push through them to see the games.

"Oh, that boy's in trouble! If he doesn't play the upper left corner his stones will die," Sai commented as they looked over one of the games. Hikaru looked down at the game, thinking hard for a moment.

'I see it,' Hikaru crows in his thoughts. 'It's the 1-2 point, right?'

"That's right, Hikaru!" Sai preens at the progress his pupil has shown, and then balked as the boy playing the game placed his stone at 1-3. Hikaru turns away with a disgusted look on his face.

"Stupid, but so close… just one point higher. He's finished now." Hikaru said aloud to Sai. Unfortunately the match official and the boy's parents were standing right there and heard him even though he'd kept his voice low.

"What do you mean saying 'just one point higher,' my son is not stupid!" the outraged woman boomed, misunderstanding Hikaru entirely. The match official asked her to calm down, but the damage was done.

"Oh… I see it now…," the boy mumbled to himself. The official rounded on Hikaru, unwilling to believe he hadn't intentionally ruined the match or yell at the overzealous woman. Hikaru was carted off to a small room in the back and given a stern lecture.

"I didn't say it very loud. If that woman hadn't yelled at me he wouldn't have heard anything at all," Hikaru tried to explain.

"That's right! Hikaru was just talking to me!" Sai offered unhelpfully, as no one could see or hear him. He was always forgetting such details.

"It is wrong to make a comment on a match in progress, no matter the situation. Perhaps the boy's mother overreacted, but calling him low level was very rude," the official admonished.

"I wasn't talking about him; I was talking about his hand. He put his stone at 1-3 when it needed to be 1-2. His _stone_ needed to be one higher," Hikaru grumbled. "I didn't mean to disrupt the game. I was just mumbling to myself without realizing it." His medical pump beeped at him and he grabbed his bag. "Sorry, I need to take my medicine."

"Saying it just slipped out is no excuse. Run along and take your medicine… and have some more consideration for your words in the future!" Hikaru dashed out of the room. He hated changing his cartridge in public; it made him feel like a faulty piece of machinery. Subway trains were always so crowded with people that no one bothered to notice each other, but he'd have to use the bathroom this time. He was just too far away.

A sudden stop and a sharp pain, and Hikaru became acquainted with the floor. He looked up to see what he'd smashed into. One of the men from the televised game was looming over him. His pump let out another, longer beep, indicating that he was actually in serious need. The excitement of the day must have gotten to him. He always seemed to burn through it faster when he was excited.

"You should be more careful," the man, whose name Hikaru couldn't place, proclaimed. Hikaru thought he sounded regal, like an old noble lord should.

"Sorry, I was in a hurry because of my medicine." He sucked up his pride and scooted over to sit with his back against the wall out of the way. Hikaru lifted his shirt, exposing the pump and its tubing to check for damage. The collision had jarred the injection point and through the clear tape Hikaru could see the skin turning red.

"Are you alright?" the man asked, seeming honestly worried.

"Yeah, it didn't break anything. It just hurts a bit." Hikaru pulled the empty cartridge from the pump and dug into his bag for a full one. "Guess I won't get to see Toya-kun today."

"Toya-kun?" the man asked, looking puzzled.

"Oh, he's a boy I met last week. I was going to see if he was at the same salon again after the tournament, but I've been having terrible luck today," Hikaru babbled to distract himself from the embarrassment of messing with his external plumbing. "Good as new, but if I don't go straight home and this bruises I'll be toast. If it doesn't bruise Mom doesn't have to know I fell down," he babbled on. "If it bruises and I tell Dad I'll be fine…."

"Are you Shindo-kun?" The man asked, offering Hikaru a hand. The imposing aura seemed to have dissipated somewhat, but still commanded Hikaru's attention.

"Uh… Yes. How did you know?" Hikaru said, taking the hand.

"I'm Akira-kun's father. He told me about the game you played with him, and the game you played with that other boy on his behalf," the older man said, stressing the point about Isobe slightly.

"Oh, that was no big deal. I run into jerks like that all the time online. As soon as I capture some of their stones they start typing rude messages or run away," Hikaru grumbled. "It makes me mad."

"Why don't I call your mother about this and ask if you can come with me to the salon? I have some paperwork to do, and I was going to make an appearance at the tournament, but I'm headed there straight after," the man seemed almost kind now.

_'Should I trust him, Sai? I__t__'s kind of creepy how nice he got so fast…_' Hikaru asked for a second opinion from the only available adult.

"I'm sure he was only abrasive before because you didn't seem properly respectful. Go is a game of honor, and this is a true Go player. We saw him on the TV-box earlier, remember?" Sai seemed overjoyed. "We should go with him! Oh, but they won't let you back into the tournament room. Do something Hikaru! Please do something!"

"Alright, but I don't think they'll want me back at the tournament," Hikaru agreed. "There was this problem with something I said to myself – a lady heard and thought I was being rude about her son. I'm not used to being around people so much… the lady ended up disrupting a game with how loud she yelled. They sorta… kinda… threw me out." Hikaru flinched, realizing that his panic was destroying Sai's grammar lessons.

"What did you say?" the man's stormy glare was back in full force. Hikaru squeaked.

"I just mumbled it to myself! Her son put down a stone a point too low on the board to save himself, so his stones were all going to die. I turned away from the board and he didn't hear me at all, but his mom started shouting at me 'cause she thought I meant his playing level was too low. Since she repeated what I said, he heard, and they had to re-start the game," Hikaru said as fast as he could. The man seemed to weigh Hikaru's soul for a moment, before lifting his hand and gesturing for the younger boy to follow.

"You can wait in one of the other rooms," Toya-Meijin proclaimed before he started walking. Hikaru trailed after him quietly, wondering if he should say anything else. They ended up back at the same little room Hikaru had been brought to by the match official, with Hikaru's reluctance to go inside written plainly on his face. "Wait here just a moment. I'll talk to them."

Toya-Meijin knew he was most often described as stoic, and the people saying such things were usually being flattering about it. It was a boon in his chosen profession to be seen as immovable as stone, but those closer to him knew he wasn't always as impassive as he first appeared. If there was one thing that affected his heart – obviously and deeply – it was his son. He was proud of him, preening and boasting whenever the topic came up, and the boy had a tighter hold on his heartstrings than he'd ever admit. At first, seeing the sick child on the floor in his crumpled button-down shirt and slacks had tugged on him because he saw Akira on the floor for a moment. In a hurry for what was obviously a damn good reason, and politely admitting his error, the boy pulled out the concerned parent that lurked behind the title holder's game face.

Mentioning his son's name changed the situation entirely. At dinner last week Akira had mostly ignored his food, his eyes sharp and determined as if he was sitting at the goban in a particularly dangerous situation. At his father's question he told a story about a mysterious boy with unbelievable skill. The first game had been just enough to force a resignation against a child tournament winner who insulted Akira (a noble action Koyo had internally cheered about. His son didn't have any young friends, and this boy seemed tailor-made for him) with a steady and stable power. What had Akira so fired had been the mystery-boy's second game. It had degraded into speed Go because of their mutual eagerness, and Akira was initially upset by the performance. It had seemed like another disappointing game, but then the boy had come from far behind to lose by a tiny margin. The normally subdued Akira had been stunned at the wild fluctuation in ability, and it lit a fire under him. He'd always been happy to study Go, but there was a renewed passion in him now. Koyo decided that any boy that could affect his son that way would be interesting, but then Akira had dropped a bombshell on his father's germinating plans: the boy who nearly came from behind to beat him was completely untrained and severely ill enough that his study of the game was probably sporadic. Ashiwara's thoughts on the boy were no more comforting, mentioning the terrible way he held his stones.

It made no sense to him. How much raw natural talent would a child have to have to spook his son, who he had taught since age two? It was an impossible scenario. The boy seemed accident-prone. Perhaps the miraculous comeback had been a fluke, a lucky break for someone so obviously short on good fortune. Koyo didn't believe in luck, he didn't become the Meijin by believing in anything but his own solid ability, but he couldn't deny that fate tended to keep the scales balanced. The only other option was that the boy wasn't used to being challenged to his full ability and had been forced to switch gears halfway through the game, rising to the greater challenge to show his full potential after underestimating his opponent. He'd been trying to rid himself of that thought all week, and now he finally had the chance to test the boy himself.

Ogata Seiji was the first person Toya saw when he opened the door to the small discussion room. The man seemed angry, and was glaring down at a goban displaying the upper left corner of a game. Tournament officials were gathered around the goban with him, several looking apologetic. They noticed him after a moment and made room for him to see the stones.

"I thought it was best to get the boy out of here as quickly as possible. He had no connection to the tournament, just walked in to watch, and that woman was convinced he was calling her son some terrible slang name," one of the judges sighed. "You should have seen him with his bleached bangs and wrinkled shirt, he looked like some lost sports punk. He even had a soccer bag with him, yellow for the west side community center team."

"So it didn't occur to you that the boy was right?" Ogata accused, and then turned to his senior. "Good afternoon, Toya-sensei."

"I heard there was a commotion. Is this the game the boy commented on?" the Meijin asked.

"Yes it is. Do you know of this boy?" Ogata asked. "They say he just glanced at this and came up with the proper answer, even a professional would have to think for a moment."

"Did he speak out of turn over the board or turn away? I've heard it told both ways," the stoic man asked, betraying nothing.

"Ah, he did turn away, but he chose his words poorly. The player's mother took it to be some kind of dire insult," the official explained. "I wouldn't say it was entirely his fault the game had to be restarted, but I couldn't very well ask the player's mother to leave."

"This is a very high level life and death problem…," the Meijin commented. "The boy is quite ill; however, and turning away a child with these skills, possibly alienating him from the Institute, is a greater offence than asking an overexcited parent to calm down."

"He's ill?" Ogata asked suspiciously. "How would you know?"

"He is just outside. I ran into him in the hall and recognized him from my son's description of a boy who nearly beat him in a game. I would like to test his strength for myself," he explained with a grim expression.

"If you want to take responsibility for him I don't think his attendance would be questioned," the official placated the powerful Go player.

"He nearly beat Akira-kun? I will believe that when I see it," Ogata grumbled.

The Meijin turned and opened the door, ushering Shindo in and gesturing to the chair. The boy seemed to respond well to authoritarian mannerisms. With a sweep of his hand he pulled the white stones out of formation and tossed them into the bowl. Hikaru mimicked him awkwardly, scooting the black stones along and tossing them into his own bowl. With a few sharp movements they sat down and bowed. The boy was stiff, and much more formal than he'd expected from a child who supposedly learned to play on the internet.

"You may place three stones," he commanded.

"Please," the boy said politely, and waited for the word to be echoed across the goban before taking a stone and placing it inelegantly onto the board. Several of the men in the room pulled a frown at the awkward hold the boy had on his stones.

"My son said you were in an accident," the Meijin said as he placed his fifth hand.

"Yeah, but that's not why I was in the hospital so long," Hikaru answered, setting down another well-placed but wobbly stone. "I kept getting infections. Something went wrong with my immune system, so for a little while it didn't matter if the doctors knew what was making me sick, I'd just catch something else as soon as they got rid of the first one." Shindo looked carefully at the board for a while before placing his stone. The boy was very focused, not allowing the conversation to distract him but still able to answer politely. It even seemed to relax him slightly under the intense scrutiny of so many eyes. This would be one of the first times the boy had to deal with close observation, unless he misunderstood the boy's situation.

"And now?" he asked, snapping down another stone.

"I'm fine now, mostly. They did something with stem cells… I'm not that smart about this stuff, and I couldn't follow what the doctor was talking about, but if I don't reject it then I'll be fine forever – and something about a long term study group. It means I have to go to a special checkup every year until I'm thirty," the boy shrugged, and they played several hands as he explained. "The medicine I'm on now regulates my metabolism somehow… Something about slowing down how fast I burn up energy. That's why I have the pump; it keeps up with my heart rate and gives me extra medicine when I start going too fast."

"That's good to hear," Ogata replied, failing to sound interested. Toya was a little irritated at him. He understood that the boy's babbling was a little distracting, but it was actually helping Shindo relax. It was obvious now that he'd never had anyone watching him play in a serious setting before. He squirmed constantly, and the Meijin would bet his entire year's salary that the little pump was working hard to keep the boy calm.

"We should stop here," Toya decided, "so I can look around the tournament. You may come with me, if you like, and observe quietly."

"Oh, well I was going to resign in a few hands anyway," Shindo replied, looking torn between relief and disappointment. "I don't know if I should go back in there though, that woman was freaky." Shindo certainly didn't have any trouble speaking his mind.

"If she asks, you have a chaperone now," the Meijin reminded him.


	4. Developments

**Developments**

"That was a magnificent game, Hikaru," Sai said, his fan fluttering around his face to cool his emotion. "I'd have to say that was one of your best performances to date, and against such an opponent! Oh, how I wish I could play against such a man. His every move resounded with power. Such elegance, such skill… oh, please Hikaru, if there is ever a chance I simply must play him." He'd never felt such pride and envy in all his thousand years of existence. The pride drowned the envy with ease. Torajirou had always agreed that while playing Go occasionally was fun, Sai should take the lead as the strategist because of his superior ability. He let Sai play almost all their games. Hikaru had never been content to lag behind. Faced with the long list of international players at Panda-Go, the part of the 'inter-nets' Hikaru made the magic box show Sai, the boy had become determined not to be left out of the excitement.

Sai couldn't blame the bed-ridden boy for wanting to play, and it was the least Sai could do to teach the boy everything he knew after what the shock of Sai's appearance had done to him. The old ghost hadn't been prepared for the sheer joy of watching Hikaru develop. He had had other students, yes, and they had all been special to him in their own way, but Hikaru had become the son he'd never had. The boy's progress was baffling. He was a sponge, soaking up every lesson with ease to the point that the boy himself didn't understand how amazing his progress was. It was beyond Hikaru's understanding that Go was a difficult game to master – in his mind it was as simple a thing as 'that person has spent more time playing than I have' to explain a loss. It led to Hikaru being utterly impossible to discourage, a boon since Sai could completely decimate him at will. A less resilient, or perhaps more perceptive, student would have given up in frustration from being in constant contact with Sai's skills. It wasn't boasting to think such things, it was a practical assessment.

He had to admit that Hikaru wasn't perfect. The boy had been horribly rude when they had first met, and despite Sai's attempts at teaching him proper manners the boy still put his foot in his mouth too often. He wasn't as inconsiderate and oblivious of others as he had been, but it was a serious personality flaw. Hikaru simply didn't realize that certain things were best left unsaid, or that the world was a lot bigger and more complicated than he thought it was. The words 'professional gamer' were an oxymoron as far as Hikaru understood, but Sai could do nothing to help him. The world at large was too different from the one he knew from his own life and Torajirou's; he could only tell him about how things used to be and teach him those arts he knew would still be appreciated.

Sai watched as the men in the room, the same men that had so cruelly ordered Hikaru out of the building a scant half hour ago, asked if the boy wanted something to drink while the Meijin was introduced on stage during a break in the tournament rounds. One of the men scampered off to take care of the title holder's paperwork – simply delivering some forms he'd already completed – and Hikaru was congratulated on his performance. Sai was happy to be quiet as Hikaru enjoyed the respect he'd earned. The blond man with glasses gave Sai a bad vibe, but the other men seemed to be nice enough once the proper procedures had been followed. The Meijin had kept his opinion to himself, but those watching were quite impressed, asking about Hikaru's nonexistent plans for the future. The creepy blonde was also silent, but had locked his eyes on Sai's young charge.

"You learned to play on the internet, correct?" the man said at last.

"Yes, uh… what was your name?" The only lesson about manners Sai had managed to completely beat into Hikaru's brain so far was to always address his betters by name and proper title when possible. Unfortunately, it took him a few shots to get a name right without help so it often backfired during the crucial first impression.

"I am Ogata Seiji, 9-dan. I play online occasionally using my family name," the slick man said.

"I use my family name too, but instead of an 'S' I put in a '5' in the beginning. Dad told me not to use my full real name, but I couldn't think of anything else, so…" Hikaru shrugged. "I'm ranked as a 2-dan right now, but I was a 3-dan two months ago. A lot of the higher-dan players took notice when I made 3-dan and challenged me, so my statistics dropped back down."

"You can loose dan rank online?" one of the others asked.

"It's a different system online than here at the institute. You declare yourself a certain rank when you enter and a computer program keeps track of all the games played," Ogata explained, clearly familiar with the system. "Since the ranking is based on a number calculated through a long equation that includes wins and losses, it is possible for dan rank to fluctuate quite a lot over the course of a year."

"Exactly, Ogata-san, I didn't get in a slump to drop in rank, I just got the attention of better players and had my statistics re-calculated," Hikaru preened.

"That's the spirit, Hikaru!" Sai cheered, "Just keep playing and you'll be a 3-dan again in no time!"

"However, those are amateur rankings. On the more popular servers the 9-dan amateur level is equal to the 1-dan pro level. Some don't even list a 9-dan amateur level at all; just give the 1-dan pro as the next level after 8-dan amateur. It isn't the same world. There is no comparison," Ogata cut into Hikaru. "On the other hand, you do have quite a lot of talent for being self-taught." The small concession sounded too much like a backhanded compliment to Sai, and he knew Hikaru agreed.

"How dare you belittle Hikaru's accomplishments?" Sai shouted, outraged. "It took me six months to be recognized as a pro level player, and I am undefeated! Hikaru is still learning, and deserves to be proud of what he has achieved in the last two years." Hikaru was staring at the ground, but Sai ducked down to look him in the eye. "This man is cruel. I'll slash him to ribbons next time we see him online."

"Have you ever played someone named Sai, Ogata-san?" Hikaru asked, keeping the formal sentence structure despite his sudden lack of respect for the 9-dan.

"I have not yet had the pleasure, but I have heard of him. An impossibly strong player who hides on the internet," Ogata said, a hungry look in his eye.

"Did you know that when he started on the server, he let his ranking default to beginner kyu level? It took him six months of undefeated play to gain a 1-dan pro ranking. I watched it happen. I played him in the beginning, I was pounded into the dirt by him, and I don't know if anyone would be able to beat him. That's how good he is, and that's how the ranking systems work," Hikaru glared up at the man, ignoring the gasps around him. "We have to learn to crawl before we can walk. I've crawled my way up to 2-dan amateur, and I'll make it to pro level someday."

"Sure of yourself, aren't you?" Ogata growled.

"Yes, Ogata-san, and you seem sure that Net Go is worthless," Hikaru replied.

"I dislike secrets," Ogata seemed he had more to say, but the door opened and the Meijin walked back into the room.

"I don't care how many secrets he has, Sai is still the best Go player I know of. All that matters is talent on the Go board, he doesn't need to do or be anything else," Hikaru declared. Sai degraded into a bubbly frenzy, hugging Hikaru and weeping with happiness that his student thought so highly of him. Hikaru was always so casual about their relationship, and seemed to treat Sai as if they were brothers. He usually ignored the differences in their abilities and addressed Sai as an equal, so such a bold statement was a rare joy.

"Sai? Who is this Sai?" the Meijin asked.

"All anyone knows about him is he lists Japan as his country of origin and he's an incredibly strong player. I've watched a few of his games…" Ogata began.

"How do you know Sai isn't a girl?" Hikaru asked. Sai immediately protested the injustice. Hikaru had made several comments on Sai's supposedly girly appearance over the years, but this was a step too far! Fashion may have changed a little, but that was no excuse for…

"I suppose I do not," Ogata grated out, "Nothing is known about who Sai is or where he, or she, came from other than that one fact. The online community boasts Sai as their star player, undefeated. It is a curiosity, and I thought our little internet player would have some insight."

"I'm not interested in people who hide in the shadows," the Meijin decreed. His eyes flicked around the room. "Unless you have something further to say on the matter, we should go out to the tournament room. The third round has begun."

"Hikaru… tell him…" Sai bent down to speak clearly into Hikaru's ear so the boy would speak for him. As per usual, Hikaru had to have his own way and added quite a bit to Sai's message.

"A person like Sai must have his reasons for not coming out in the open," Hikaru passionately avowed, "He seemed… enthusiastic and content to just play. He'll play anyone, from beginners who barely know what they're doing to the highest level players on the net. His record is perfect wins, so his strength has never been in doubt. He has my respect, and the respect of many others. All the lower-level players thank him for the teaching games, even if they aren't sure he can get their chat messages because he never talks. Maybe that bothers some people, but he is what he is and he never showed any sign of being ashamed of that."

"Then he is simply arrogant," Ogata commented. Sai could contain himself no longer and threw his fan at the man. It would re-appear in his sleeve in a moment, and it went through the abrasive man as if he were nothing more than smoke, but it was the principle of the thing.

"How dare you? How can you say such callus things about someone you have never played and know nothing about? I will slaughter you! I will thrust my sword at you and you will fall! I will teach you the manners you have clearly forgotten since you earned your place!" Sai ranted, hopping around and expressing all the emotion Hikaru was forced to swallow down.

"If I see him on the 'net tonight, I will tell him what you said. I don't know or care if he can read the messages sent to him, I'll send it anyway," Hikaru turned away, burning in fury. "He might not even care what you think of him." It was telling, to Sai, that Hikaru failed to use Ogata 9-dan's name, title, or even a more polite pronoun.

"He… is someone you deeply respect," the Meijin said tactfully. Sai turned to him. This man was one to respect, a glorious player and honorable man. He was glad Hikaru had become close to the Meijin and his family.

"Yes, sir," Hikaru responded, standing strait at attention in a rare show of prefect posture. "I don't know anything about the Go Institute or professional players. All I have is Sai; I share him with the other people on the 'net. He set the bar, and it's high, but we're all chasing Sai now." Sai pulled his fan out of his sleeve and hid his tears. Such beautiful words…

"He could be anyone, a mass murderer or something equally distasteful, and you follow him blindly?" Ogata asked, his irritation at being embarrassed in front of the Meijin clear in every syllable.

"He could be like I was, stuck in a hospital bed and unable to move," Hikaru retorted.

"Horary for Hikaru!" Sai cheered. It wasn't true, but it was a beautiful lie. It was also Sai's goal, as he had hoped Go, and by extension Sai himself, would be enough to keep Hikaru happy while he was hospitalized. It was something so close to the boy's heart Sai was surprised he'd say it so openly. Ogata balked at it, having no right to say anything to such a bold comment. A ghost of a smile drifted over the Meijin's face, and Sai wondered what the man could possibly say.

"Then come have a look at how things work for those who are not relegated to the shadows," Toya opened the door behind him, allowing the bright lights of the tournament hall to make his point for him. It was a beautiful gesture. Sai swooned.

"Go on, Hikaru, and stick close to this man." Sai advised and Hikaru bowed to the Meijin. As Hikaru walked out Sai continued, "Toya Meijin is obviously at the top of his field. That he has noticed you is a huge step. Whatever he may have planned, and I do not doubt a man like him has some other motive, you stand to gain greatly from it. We have to find out more about this man."

_'I just want to play Toya-kun again,'_ Hikaru thought to Sai. Sai fell silent for a moment, wondering if that was, perhaps, exactly what the other Go master wanted. It didn't last long, as Sai was quickly distracted by the heated battles being fought all around him. It was such a large tournament that there would be many rounds of play, and it would be finished on the next day. Sai ran from one goban to another, making comments to Hikaru. He pointed out various key points and life and death struggles, calling his attention to playing styles and moves they hadn't seen on the magic box.

"Oh, look here, Hikaru, look! This is a very tricky situation, don't you think?" Sai said, pointing down at one goban. Hikaru hurried over as quickly as his pride and modern ideas of male behavior would allow. They studied the goban for a while. The white player was also taking his time, carefully considering the dangerous situation. He was teetering on the edge of the precipice, but black was right there with him. The winner of this battle would have a serious advantage, and the psychological damage done to the looser could affect the rest of the game; a truly dangerous position. Hikaru stepped back from the board, a look of concentration on his face.

"Your thoughts?" Hikaru started, having expected Sai to ask the question. He looked up at the Meijin.

"This battle will dictate the winner. There is enough territory left elsewhere on the board to make up for a loss here for either side, but the looser will be put off emotionally. An older player might not react strongly to something like this, but I know I wouldn't be able to walk away from a battle that bloody. On the other hand, the winner might be just as shaken given how vicious it is. The 6-4 point seems critical, but so is the 9-7 on the other side. It is complex," Hikaru explained as best he could. "It's the sort of game I'd keep in a side window while I was online."

"What is a side window?" the elder asked, confused.

"It's… ah… On a computer you have different windows open. It's like having things spread out on a desk. I'd have a game like that on the corner of the screen, the corner of my desk, while I was typing up my history homework or reading an assignment," Hikaru attempted. "I get in trouble if I watch TV or listen to music while I do my school work, but no one seems to mind if I'm watching Go. Sometimes they re-play title matches, and they even show matches Shusaku played. You can talk with the other people watching a game, and sometimes the players will join in after the game is finished."

"I didn't know that was possible," the Meijin admitted. "Do they have games like that broadcast every day?"

"No, but the administrator of the server I'm on likes to replay older games every Tuesday. They have announcements about big matches on the main screen, and I can usually find two high level players in a casual match to watch whenever I want no matter the time of day," Hikaru answered, happy to teach the older man something even if it was fairly trivial. The players had made a few moves, and Sai pulled Hikaru's attention back to the board.

"They missed both the points you saw, Hikaru. It's a different problem now," Sai explained.

"Very different," Hikaru murmured. The point's he'd seen before were much less important now. He thought about it for quite a while. Sai smiled, hoping Hikaru would see the new vital point. There was only one way out of this battle, unless both players made mistakes far below their ability. The sudden smile on Hikaru's face, and his swift steps away from the board signaled his assurance of victory as the boy shouted is thoughts at Sai. The ghost thrilled and followed him away. The Meijin walked off the other way, talking to one of the officials. Sai noticed that the man seemed surprised the powerful player had so much interest in the children's tournament. Sai glowed; his student had caused one of the most respected Go players around to take a second look at the youth coming up below him.

"I… found… you… Shindo," a breathless voice interrupted Sai and Hikaru's silent celebration.

Hikaru spun around at the breathless voice. Toya, the younger one, was standing to Hikaru's right. His school uniform was askew, something that seemed distinctly out of character even given how little Hikaru knew about him. He was out of breath, panting with a fire and determination in his aqua eyes.

"I didn't know I was lost," Hikaru deadpanned. "I was going to come over to the salon after the tournament."

"Are you in it?" Toya asked, seeming surprised. "Isn't it boring dealing with low-level players?"

"No, I'm not in it. I heard about it from a contact on the 'net. I came to watch, and learn a bit about playing Go off the 'net. Besides, how can Go be boring? There is a game right over… Oh, they finished, but it was a great game. They both missed the key points in a heated battle, but that only made it more dangerous. It was a great game. I was watching with your dad."

"My father is here with you?" he asked, calming down and fidgeting with his cuffs. They walked over to the soda machines, something Sai still loved to watch.

"Well… it's a long story," and Hikaru gave the shortest version of it he could.

"Oh," Toya said when he'd heard the messy story. "Well, the round is ending. If we are going to lunch, this would be the proper time to step out." Hikaru couldn't help but smile at Toya, he sounded like he learned to talk from a textbook.

"Alright, let's find your dad. The sooner we eat the sooner we can have that rematch, right?" Hikaru urged, grabbing Toya's wrist and pulling him forward.

"Alright," he said, seeming a little overwhelmed. "How was that game you were talking about, the one with the vicious battle?"

"It looked like it started around the upper left star point, but it spilled out into the center of the board really early. I could re-create it for you, if you like."

"Please do." Toya pointed at an open board. "I don't think they'd mind if we re-created the match to talk about. Father will find us if we're out in the open."

"Ok," Hikaru walked over to the table, but noticed a group of boys around another board. "Oh, we don't have to. Hey, do you mind if we take a look? I saw this game earlier." Sai noticed young Toya wince slightly as Hikaru pulled the other boy's attention to them.

"Hey, yeah, I saw you watching Tomo-kun and I play. You were with one of the match officials," a boy with brown hair offered. "Who are you?"

"I'm Shindo, and this is Toya. I'm ranked amateur 2-dan on the 'net," Hikaru tried to introduce himself properly, but his rank was drowned out by the sudden burst of excitement from the group of boys who had been replaying the game.

"You mean Toya Akira? I thought he never came to these tournaments."

"Well, so much for winning first place."

"You can still get second place, Tomo-kun!"

"Oh, I'm not in the tournament. I just came here looking for Shindo-kun," Toya tried to cool down the situation. Sai thought he looked completely out of his element.

"Who's Shindo?" the boy Katsu had been playing against, Tomo, asked.

"I am," Hikaru said, upset at being ignored. "Can we talk about the game now?" Hikaru pointed down at the board. "I came by a few moves after this point… black was here, and white was…" Hikaru pointed at the points where stones would have been placed. "I was thinking about the 6-4 and 9-7 points then."

"Yes… those would be critical. Black on 9-7 and White on 6-4 would stabilize the situation. If either color got both points it would be catastrophic for the other," Toya's eyes lit up. "Is that how it went?" he asked Hikaru.

"Not at all; could you advance the game?" he asked the players.

"I didn't even think of 6-4… wouldn't 9-7 be weaker? An attachment would be hard to fight off," Katsu thought aloud, playing the game forward for the observers.

"If it's black, 9-9 put's a white attachment in Atari. If it's white, it would be more complex, but still it could live with help from these stones," Hikaru pointed at a group of stones nearby that wasn't doing very much for anyone at the moment.

"It's still a better move for black than white," Toya pointed out. "Wait, this is how it played out?" His shock was obvious.

"Interesting, isn't it? I saw a game like this on the 'net a while ago. Since there were two points that could make or break the situation, neither player took one for fear the other player would take the second and lead to a stalemate. These were a couple hot-headed 4-dan amateur level players, out for blood," Hikaru remembered. "Wait, right here, this is where I left it. Do you see the move? The battle's bigger now, spilled out all over the board, so there is no way to recover from a loss here like there had been before." Toya's eyes darted over the board.

"I don't… oh! Tengen!" he chirped victoriously.

"Yep," Hikaru laughed. "Is that what happened after I left?"

"Yeah, but it took us another six hands each," Tomo grumbled. "I guess I'll see you in the final rounds, Shindo?"

"No, I'm not part of the tournament either. I'd like to be, but…" Hikaru started.

"There you are," the Meijin's voice cut through the chatter.

"Father," Toya Akira greeted with a slight bow.

"Toya-Meijin!" one of the boys shouted.

"Hello, Toya-Meijin," Hikaru greeted as respectfully as he could, "I wanted to show Toya-kun the game we were looking at earlier."

"I see. How exactly did the two of you find one another?" the man asked, pegging his son with an inquisitive look. Hikaru wondered how the younger Toya lived with that every day.

"Ichikawa-san told me about the tournament. I guessed that Shindo-kun might be here, and came over to check," Toya replied. It hadn't occurred to Hikaru to wonder how he'd been found in the vast sprawl of such a huge city. Sai made an offhand comment about how that meant Toya came on the unconfirmed possibility that Hikaru was at the Institute, but there was something else about what Toya said that bothered Hikaru and absorbed his attention.

"The Meijin was looking at our game," Katsu whispered loudly at his opponent and apparent friend. He was mostly ignored.

"Wait… Ichikawa-san… that's the clerk at the Go salon, isn't it? You were out of breath because you ran clear across the city?!" Hikaru accused.

"I took the subway," Toya snipped, flustered. "The elevator had a line so I used the stairs, that's why I was out of breath."

"Because you ran up the stairs," Hikaru deadpanned, with two other voices in harmony. Sai understood how the two of them could be in sync, but to have his words echoed by Toya Meijin as well was a little surprising. Hikaru couldn't help but blush along with his new friend.

New friend… that was an odd thought, but there wasn't any other way to describe them now, was there? They were even going out for lunch together, which made it official in a way. It had been a while since Hikaru had interacted with someone his own age on a regular basis. The other kids in the hospital weren't into the same things he was, and a part of Hikaru was afraid to get close with them.

"We get our match taken apart by Toya Akira and his best friend and the Meijin is watching our game… I'm winning this tournament, Katsu-kun. It's a sign!" Tomo declared in the background, as the newly declared best friends followed after the Go champion. They pretended they didn't hear the excited boy's chatter, but each of their eyes darted over to the other for a moment. Hikaru felt vaguely as he had when he first met Sai, like something he'd been waiting for had just clicked into place.


	5. Moving Forward

**Moving Forward**

Akira watched in mild fascination as Shindo slurped up his ramen. It was surprising how excited the other boy got over the food. His father had had an apologetic note in his voice when he suggested the ramen shop for the sake of saving time, but apparently Shindo considered it 'the most perfect food' and dug in happily. Akira thought it was alright, but he had never liked soups very much. He sucked it down all the same, eager to play Shindo again. He'd never felt this way about an opponent before. It was hard to gauge Shindo's strength because his moves were so wild. He took insane risks and made moves that seemed to be bad at the start but turned out to be fantastic. He was either strong beyond measure, reckless beyond measure, or some combination of the two. Either way, Akira couldn't predict him. That got under his skin.

"Hikaru!" a girl's voice blasted from right behind Akira's head. "What are you doing so far away from home? What happens if you pass out?"

"Akari," Shindo somehow managed to gasp, mumble, and swallow a mouthful of ramen all at once. "That hasn't happened since I switched from the big injections to the pump." A sweet looking girl with pigtails came around the side of the table. Akira's mind suddenly blanked out.

"Are you sure you're alright?" the pretty girl asked Hikaru, ignoring Akira's existence. That was fine; he thought he'd like to dissolve into the ramen bowl right about now. She was standing very close to Shindo, completely ignoring his personal space. Then again, Shindo didn't seem to have much personal space to begin with.

"I'm fine. Toya-Meijin even called my mom to double check what I'm allowed to do, and see how late I can stay at the salon with Toya-kun," Shindo huffed. How could he talk to her so casually? "This is Toya-kun, by the way. He's a new friend of mine, and that's his father. This is Fujisaki Akari, a friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you," Akira said automatically. Something in him wanted to run, and he didn't catch the beginning of whatever his father was saying.

"…for very long before you started dating?" his father finished.

"We're not dating!" Shindo reeled as if he'd been accused of being a girl in disguise. Akira… felt oddly happy about that.

"You are close friends with Shindo-kun, right Fujisaki-san?" Akira heard himself say, "So you must see how much better he is now then he used to be." He tried to ease the girl's worries. Shindo seemed perfectly fine to him.

"Sometimes he just didn't wake up…" Fujisaki looked suddenly close to tears. Akira felt suddenly close to panic.

"That wasn't all because I was sick; it was a side-effect of the medicine," Shindo assured Fujisaki. "The medicine put me to sleep so I could heal faster. There are some things your body does different while asleep, and so it was better for me to rest." The girl immediately stopped tearing up. What magic trick was that? "We're going to a Go salon after this," Shindo explained, "so you can go back to your other friends. You'd just be bored."

"Maybe we'll come with you," Fujisaki looked vaguely angry. Maybe it wasn't magic after all. "It's not like I don't know how to play."

"I beat you in twenty minutes with a nine stone handicap last time," Shindo groaned. "There's a galaxy between you and me. I don't want to play teaching games today," Shindo leaned over to look behind Akira. Akira turned around to see a group of girls giggling and shooting glances over at them. He really wished he could dissolve, or at least suddenly teleport to somewhere where crowds of giggling girls were not looking through his head. "Hey, girls, do any of you know how to play Go?" a chorus of negative answers came back at him. "See? Your friends would be bored."

"You… sometimes…" Fujisaki suddenly rounded on Akira. A glance around confirmed he was in Atari, as the other girls had walked up behind him. "You wouldn't mind if we came along, would you?" _I resign! I resign!_

"I was looking forward to a rematch with Shindo-kun. The salon is open to anyone," Akira began, burning under the intensity of Shindo's glare and flailing around for anything to diminish his panic, "but if you don't know how to play well yet you might be better off attending a Go class. They hold them occasionally at the Institute and places like local community centers." Akira looked at his father, desperate for an out.

"There is an extra fee, but my salon does offer beginner's lessons on Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays by appointment," the elder explained. Akira wanted to melt into the floor. Father couldn't possibly be inviting all those pretty girls to the salon. It wasn't fair play.

"Does he give lessons?" one of the girls said while looking at Akira in a way that made him want to run. Well, it made the desire stronger, in any case. Perhaps now was a good time to visit China? He was blushing, he could feel it.

"The lessons are given by professional Go players. My son is not yet a professional, and so he does not teach formal lessons. If he wants to, he can play a teaching game with you," his father betrayed him.

"I'd rather focus on becoming stronger so that I can pass the pro test next summer," Akira said as calmly as he could. "Isn't that what you plan to do, Shindo-kun?"

"You want to turn pro next summer?" Shindo nearly choked on his noodles, "You're just a kid!"

"I'm strong enough, I'm sure I could pass!"Akira countered.

"Most people start taking the test in or around Jr. High," the Meijin explained, "You don't have to wait until you are an adult." Akira calmed down a little. He was glad to be talking about something he could better understand, but aghast that Hikaru would need such an explanation.

"That just proves I don't know anything about the pros. Anyway, I'm too wild on the board still; everyone says so and I've got too much other stuff to worry about right now. Dad wants me to get into this fancy Jr. High that I don't think I have the brains for. I have to play catch up even though my grades have been good because I'm a little behind normal grade school kids. The home school and distance learning classes are just different," Hikaru thought out loud. "I also have physical therapy, that's just like a P.E. class but it takes ages and I'll have to keep it up after I start Jr. High. Then there are the tests and doctor's visits I have to keep up. I don't think I'd have time to become a professional anything." Akira just blinked at Shindo's utter lack of enthusiasm. Wasn't he passionate about Go? Didn't he challenge that other boy when they met because he was shaming the game with his poor behavior? Wasn't the threat of Akira becoming a pro and leaving him behind at all important?

"Well, we're going to the new dress shop that opened up last week. Are you coming or not, Fujisaki-chan?" one of the other girls asked.

"Yeah, I'm coming," the girl slinked off, clearly upset. Shindo just shrugged it off, as if he didn't care that there was a huge possibility that they would come back, this time to the salon, or that he had just all but said he wasn't turning pro until he graduated even if Akira won a title in the meantime. It made Akira shake with anger. One of the girls noticed, unfortunately.

"Don't worry, we'll come play with you boys later," she suggested. Both boys choked, Akira on his ramen and Shindo on his tea.

"We need a plan," Shindo whispered after the threat of drowning passed.

"An escape plan," Akira hoped.

"You are too shy for your own good," the Meijin countered, and the boys gave up planning anything while the elder was in earshot.

They still hadn't come up with a plan several hours and five games later. Akira was a little perplexed at Shindo's strange strength. Sometimes it seemed like Akira would be crushed, other times Shindo could barely defend himself. At the oddest times he seemed suddenly irritated by something, or else he'd start glaring at some point to the left of the goban. Akira couldn't connect these odd flashes of emotion to anything on the board, unless Shindo was seeing the game a completely different way. Wait, perhaps that was right. Yes, Shindo's style made sense if Akira thought of it that way. Shindo saw the hands with some other significance, the way someone from a different culture would see different meanings in certain mannerisms. The wild style was because he was untrained, or at least not classically trained, and had developed a new way to see the board.

Akira couldn't decide if he should be terrified, excited, curious, or just plain gob smacked. He settled for all of the above, and vowed to talk to his father about it. Speaking of the Meijin, the elder had made it a point to peak over at regular intervals while he was busy giving advice and otherwise mingling with his customers. It wasn't something he did often. Had Shindo's sudden appearance affected him so much, or was there another reason, that perhaps also explained his sudden desire to torture his son in the ramen shop?

"Hikaru?" a man's voice floated over to the goban. Akira looked up at a man with short-cropped hair and a business suit. "Your mother wanted me to pick you up on the way home. She said something about an accident?"

"Hi dad," Hikaru chirped, "Mom's just being mom; I'm fine. This is Toya-kun. I told you about him before, remember?"

"Ah, yes, I remember. Are the two of you having fun?" the man smiled brightly and Akira could guess where Shindo's open nature came from.

"Yes, Shindo-san," Akira said with a bow. When he looked back up his own father had come over to the goban.

"My name is Toya Koyo, Meijin," he introduced with a bow. "I'm the owner of this salon and Akira's father."

"A pleasure to meet you, I'm Shindo Masao," the other man replied in a crisp, businesslike manner. Akira had the odd feeling he was being scouted, both elder men assessing the worth of the other's family. "Forgive my ignorance, but what do you mean by Meijin?"

"It is one of the three titles I hold as a professional Go player; the first one I achieved and the most prestigious of the three," Toya-san said smoothly.

"I am assistant vice-president of Empire Accounting's Tokyo branch lender's office. Not quite as succinct, but I enjoy my work," the man passed over a business card, which Akira's father took graciously. "It's good to see my son getting back out into society." Akira felt like he was one of those little show dogs being poked and prodded on a judge's table. Good posture, excellent coat, but can he sit up and roll over? He hated dog shows, but his grandmother took him out to one once a year for some reason.

"Shindo-kun is welcome anytime," the Meijin said, obviously having already assessed the boy's worth. Akira had been a little surprised when he got Shindo talking about how his morning went. His father had skillfully captured, tested, and passed his judgment on the other boy. Akira wondered what the conversation between his father and Shindo's mother had been like, but the man had made the call while Shindo was walking around the tournament hall. "He is a very skilled player for his age."

"Your son beat him," the other man acknowledged.

"Right now we're four and two, but I'm still trailing," Shindo piped up. "He surprised me by ruining some plans I thought were good. I just need more experience playing on a real board against other people. I'll catch up soon."

"Well, you have the Kaio entrance exam coming up, and school takes priority." The man pat his son on the shoulder. "You have a couple of very busy weeks coming up on you. Playtime may have to wait."

"Yes, sir," Shindo said with no remorse or hesitation. Akira would have griped, but his father would never say something like that in the first place.

"Akira will be going to Kaio as well," the Meijin boasted. "Once the new semester starts they can see each other regularly."

"That would be nice," the other man agreed, "A good incentive for them to keep their grades up, and they would already have a friend in their new school. It always helps to have a familiar personal connection when starting a new chapter in life. Well, I'd better get this home before my wife pitches a fit." The man grabbed his son about the waist and tossed him over his shoulder.

"Dad, I'm not a baby anymore. Don't pick me up!" Shindo squealed, wiggling around in what was obviously a familiar ritual between them.

"This sack of rice and a gallon of milk and my errands are done," the man joked with a lopsided smile. Akira suddenly realized that Shindo's father hadn't been gauging if they had been good enough at all, he'd been playing along to see how stuffy the Toya family was. He got the impression they had failed the interview as the man carted his son out.

"Well, you don't see a grown man carrying on like that every day," one of the customers commented.

"He seemed stiff as a board right until the end. What was that about, sensei?" Ashiwara-san asked. Akira looked up at his father's unreadable face, wondering what he would say. Suddenly, he started to laugh.

"It is a shame that man doesn't play Go, his tactics would be brilliant. He had sente the whole time," his father answered cryptically, and said no more on the subject that evening.


	6. Friendships and Connections

**Friendships and Connections**

Hikaru was a little pissed off. The entrance exam for Kaio had been horrible. He hadn't done terribly, he didn't think, but it had lasted longer than anything Shindo had ever done in one sitting. Sai was exhausted by it, and he was just watching over Shindo's shoulder. Right now he was wandering around the Haze School festival, looking for anyone he knew. His mother had let him loose and he'd come there thinking that Akari would be here. She'd invited him over the phone and he'd turned her down at first because of the test. The irritating supposed friend was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, Hikaru, look, it says 'Go!' Let's go see!" Sai urged, his enthusiasm overcoming his exhaustion. With nothing better to do, and the sight of a chair drawing him over like an oasis in a desert, Hikaru walked over to the simple table setup. A boy with oversized glasses and very short messy black hair was running the table. A goban was set up with several books and other items stacked on the side. He was explaining a mid-kyu level life and death problem to an older man, but there weren't any other kids around. As Hikaru walked up the older man left.

"Hey there," Hikaru greeted the older boy, "I didn't know this school had a Go club."

"Uh, well I just started the club this year," the boy seemed embarrassed to say. "Do you play?"

"I learned on the 'net. I just got into playing people face to face. My name's Shindo Hikaru."

"I'm Tsutsui Kimihiro. Why don't you join the club?" he said excitedly.

"I'm a sixth grader, and I spent all morning taking the Kaio entrance exam, but I don't know if I'll get in. Mom wants me to come here, since some of my old friends are going to be in Haze," Shindo apologized.

"Kaio has the best Go club around," Tsutsui admitted.

"I know one guy who's going to Kaio next year. He'll probably join their club," Hikaru said as he sat down.

"Oh, Hikaru, look!" Sai exclaimed and pointed to a book titled _Assorted Tsumego from Toya Meijin's Matches._ "That's from that man!"

"Well, it's just me right now, but I'm sure I can find more members. If you come, then we'll only need one more boy for a team tournament," Tsutsui smiles.

"Um, what's this?" Hikaru asked, "And what's a team tournament?"

"That's one of the prizes. If you can solve one of the high level problems, you win the book. I guess you wouldn't know about team tournaments if you've only played on the web. Three people to a team, and three games are played, the team who gets more wins passes to the next round. We can also do individual tournaments, but you'd have to be pretty strong for that and we'd have to get established as a club first."

"Give me a couple problems, and see how good I am," Hikaru offered. The gangly boy set up a simple problem. Hikaru solved it instantly with a smirk. "I've been playing for two years, Tsutsui-san."

"Sorry, just testing," he apologized, handing over a pack of tissues as a prize. He set up a mid-level problem and Hikaru solved it after a moment of thought. Tsutsui looked pleasantly surprised. "Here's one that will win the book," he said, setting up a complex problem. "You'd have to be on Toya Akira's level to solve this one," he said ruefully.

"I know him… Toya-kun's strong," Hikaru mumbled distractedly after a long moment. Sai had already solved it, but Hikaru didn't want to give up just yet. Suddenly a cigarette slammed down onto the board.

"Who cares about Toya?" a wild redheaded boy in traditional-style clothes asked. "Go's a stupid game, you should come to the Shogi club. I'm the head of the club, you know."

"How dare he put that dirty thing on the board?" Sai raged, "Although, he did put it in the right place, Hikaru."

"Here," Tsutsui pushed the book at the rude boy, "That's the prize. Take it and leave, Kaga." Tsutsui then turned to carefully clean off the goban.

"Toya Akira, who cares about him?" Kaga started ripping the book to pieces.

"I care!" Hikaru grabbed the boy's arm, feeling obligated to say something in his new friend's defense, even if it was a friendship based on fighting. "Toya-kun's my friend!"

"What?" both older boys asked at once.

"He's the guy I know who's going to Kaio next year," Hikaru explained. "He's weird, but he's still my friend."

"What do you mean by weird?" Tsutsui asked.

"Sit down," Kaga ordered. "You win and I won't beat you to a fine pulp."

"Hikaru, let me play," Sai said, "After what he has done he deserves to be taught a lesson!"

"Alright," Hikaru agreed. _'I'll never see this guy again, unless I lose my mind and join the Shogi club.__ If Tsutsui says anything I'll just say I played this way because I was angry.__'_

"How do you know Toya Akira?" Tsutsui asked, looking worried.

"I met Toya-kun about three weeks ago," he said, looking at Tsutsui. "He's… just weird. If he's focused on Go then he's fine, but when we went to lunch and one of my other friends came by he was completely different. He was all twitchy and really uncomfortable, like he didn't know what to do with himself. He's really shy, I think, but it's hard to tell with him. He doesn't about talk much other than the game."

"Maybe you should focus on the game. I may be the head of the Shogi club, but I'm no pushover," Kaga warned.

"It's a pretty standard opening," Hikaru commented, setting down his next stone at Sai's direction. It was a very aggressive move from the ghost. "This stone should get things moving." The game soon descended into a series of overly aggressive attacks. Kaga never had a chance, but Sai was curious enough not to cut him down ruthlessly. Complex battles spilled out of each corner in turn, leaving the center a twisted mess and the only clearly defined territory on the sides. Sai easily carried the game, toying with the rude boy by intentionally making odd or apparently weak moves. It was the sort of backhanded playing style that Hikaru was better known for, and it seemed appropriate to the ghost for him to impersonate his student's habits. Kaga was looking more and more irate, and his raging emotions caused him to make several mistakes that neither Sai nor Hikaru felt charitable enough to let him get away with. Tsutsui was wavering between polite interest and suppressed glee, obviously not wanting to anger the wild boy.

"I have nothing," Kaga finally admitted, an odd look on his face.

"That was a great game," Tsutsui congratulated. Hikaru was suddenly aware of a small crowd of onlookers dispersing. Among the older men, he caught sight of a boy wearing a bright shirt only slightly lighter than his intense red hair. Akari's cheery voice called him from the other side.

"Hikaru, I didn't think you were coming today."

"Hey, Akari. I decided I needed to have some fun," Hikaru explained.

"Can I play too?" Akari asked. "You hardly play me anymore."

"I didn't want to play you much to begin with," he grumbled.

"You can play as much as you like if you join the club," Tsutsui offered.

"Give me your jacket," Kaga demanded, pulling on the back of Tsutsui's collar.

"What?" the gentle boy started. "It's cold!"

"Come on, take it off!" Kaga insisted, nearly ripping it off the smaller student. Akari squeaked and covered her eyes.

"What's wrong with you? Were you dropped as a baby?" Hikaru asked, watching the strange spectacle. Kaga tossed the jacket over Hikaru's head.

"We're going to the tournament. I'm first captain 'cause it's my idea, the strong shrimp second, and you are third," Kaga said to Tsutsui.

"Wait, Hikaru-kun's homeschooled, and only in sixth grade. He can't be on a school team," Akari worried, but was ignored. Several protests were made, but Kaga shut them up as only a terrifying bully could. Hikaru wondered if he was also in one of the sports clubs, like the Judo club. He seemed too strong for a gamer geek.

The next week found Hikaru in a borrowed uniform with a very worried Sai assuring him they could get through this. Akari was at home, sulking about how mean Kaga was. Tsutsui had both apologized for Kaga and begged Hikaru to go through with this charade. Just saying they had participated would help get the word out about the club and he was desperate to get the club established. Hikaru sat down as soon as he got to the tournament room. He couldn't see Tsutsui or Kaga anywhere, but that was fine. It was a quite a walk from a bus or subway station to Kaio, and with his therapy session that morning he was worn out. He didn't need Kaga ragging on him for huffing and puffing after walking up a set of stairs. Sai's assurances were a comfort; he knew better than anyone what Hikaru's limits were.

"Ready, Shindo?" the rude greeting shook Hikaru out of the meditation exercise Sai was guiding him through. He cracked open his eye to see Kaga hanging over him.

"I guess, but this is a bad idea," Hikaru moaned.

"No guts no glory, right?" the wild boy snickered. "Just do what you do and we'll have a ball."

"Hello, Shindo-kun," Tsutsui greeted. "Just try to enjoy the games and ignore him." The other boy poked at his glasses apologetically.

"Like hell he will. You watch my games Shindo, you might learn something," the Shogi player pulled out his fan.

"Kaga-kun, he beat you," Tsutsui reminded him.

"The first captain matches are always worth looking over, and the kid made some piss poor choices in that game against me. He's stronger than you, but he's a mess." Kaga plopped down in a chair. He fanned himself, leaning back to raise his leg onto one of the other chairs, the poster boy for leisure.

"Well, he's talking about my imitation of your style, but it's an accurate assessment of the game," Sai murmured to Hikaru's irritation. "It was a very unpolished game." Sai shrugged. Shindo was about to come up with something scathing to say to Kaga, despite everything, when the teachers running the tournament announced that they should find their tables.

Hikaru followed Tsutsui and Kaga over to their first match. He bowed to his opponent and started in on his first round. It was a good game, the opponent was a solid and consistent player, but even with his wavering style Hikaru gained the upper hand early in the midgame. Unpolished and rough, he got pushed around a little in the endgame but it wasn't enough to save his opponent. After komi he won by four and a half points, but the lead should have been devastating. Tsutsui went off to report their win 3-0. Sai congratulated Hikaru on a good game.

"That was sloppy," he heard Kaga murmur from behind him. "Are you playing around?"

"I'm playing," Hikaru said, pleased with the double meaning.

"Look, Tsutsui didn't want me to tell you this, but… We have to with this tournament. The school will shut down the club if we don't. You beat that guy because he's a weakling; if you couldn't come away from that board with a win I wouldn't have wanted you on the team in the first place. I get it, you can't play consistently, but you need to shape up or you'll drag us down in the later rounds. Plow the next guy into the ground, got it?"

"I understand," Hikaru said. He felt like he'd been kicked in the gut. _'Sai__, what should I do__?'_

"You can do it, Hikaru," Sai assured. "I'm sure you can beat these other boys. They are more polished, but you have a greater talent. You see things they do not, you read deeper into the game, but you aren't as good at modern moves. You've played me so much and so often that you expect moves in my style. I should have let you play more games on the magic box…"

_'We started playing online so you could play other people without anyone wondering where I got the sudden ability to play. It's the only place you exist where other people can meet you.__ It's alright that I've mostly just watched you play, because I got to watch you learn and evolve when you were exposed to modern styles. It's not your fault I haven't played other people, it was the infection__'_Hikaru assured.

"Keep going, Hikaru. I believe in you!" Sai tried to be reassuring, but it sounded weak.

The second round was more difficult. The other boy thought for a long time and his moves were almost as awkward as his own. It threw off the flow of the game, and he couldn't stop worrying about what Kaga said. He scraped by with another win, but only just. Kaga had gotten a second resignation but Tsutsui had lost.

"What are you doing, that was worse!" Kaga lamented.

"Back off, would you? That guy was flakier than I am, it threw me off," Hikaru huffed. He tried to stand up and stalk off, but instead he hit the linoleum.

"Shindo-kun, are you alright?" Tsutsui asked as he ran over.

"Yeah, I'm just out of it," Hikaru tried to calm down the older boy.

"Everything alright here?" one of the teachers asked, looking Hikaru's place on the floor.

"What did you do to him?" Tsutsui accused Kaga.

"I swear I didn't touch him. He tried to stand up and just hit the floor," Kaga explained.

"I'm fine, seriously. I'm just a bit dizzy. I'll go get a drink and I'll be fine," Hikaru tried to get up and had to grab the edge of the table to prevent another fall.

"I'll get you a drink," Tsutsui scampered off.

"Come over here," the teacher said, hooking an arm around Hikaru to steady him. "You can lie down in the office." He turned to one of the Kaio students as Hikaru gained his footing. "Make sure that other boy comes to the office when he comes back." The teacher brought Hikaru to the office where there were was a bench seat he could lay down on. Kaga followed after, looking down at Hikaru in consternation.

"Is this why you're playing like crap today?" he accused. From his place on the bench Hikaru could see the teacher look at Kaga inquisitively. "If you were sick you should have just said so, idiot."

"I'm fine; I'm just tired from my physical therapy session. I only had half an hour to get here after it was over. I just need a break," Hikaru panted. Sai was running around the room in a panic, stopping occasionally to check on Hikaru.

"Shindo-kun?" Tsutsui came in with a bottle of water from one of the vending machines.

"I'm fine. Let me at the bottle and give me five minutes," he huffed. "Seriously, I've been sick for years, if I don't know what to do about it by now I deserve whatever happens to me."

"What did you mean about him playing poorly? I thought he'd won both his games today," the teacher asked Kaga.

"Sure he won, by the skin of his teeth. He should be plowing them into the ground," Kaga huffed. "I didn't blow off the Shogi club to watch some low-level floundering. Where's the massacre?"

"Blow it up your…," Hikaru said between gulps of water, the end cut off by Tsutsui's gasp and Kaga's bark of laughing approval. "Spend two years talking to a hospital janitor, you learn some fun words for bad situations," he explained when he remembered a teacher was in the room.

"Shindo-kun, calm down," Tsutsui worried. "Just relax and ignore him."

"He sounds recovered to me," Kaga snorted, looking highly amused. Hikaru sat up and took a deep breath.

"I spent all morning in the hospital running and jumping and tumbling and being bent all around by a P. T. nurse. I was just overtired," Hikaru pulled himself up off the bench and stretched. "I'm cool."

"Are you sure?" the teacher asked him.

"I can absolutely sit down in a chair and lift tiny stones onto a board, Sir," Hikaru deadpanned. "They might not go in the best possible place, but that's how it goes sometimes. Just don't hand me off to the P.E. teacher." Hikaru hated having to use his dizzy spell to play off the difference between his and Sai's ability. Thank god Sai had been imitating Hikaru's irritating style to better frustrate his opponent. If he'd sliced Kaga in half Hikaru would be in deep crap.

"Well, let's get to the next round of play. You can keep the water bottle with you," the teacher conceded, gesturing to the half-empty bottle in Hikaru's hand. They walked back into the tournament room, the boys from Kaio already sitting at their places.

"I guess I get a pass," the second board said with a smirk after the colors were chosen.

"Don't bet on it," Hikaru said, but he wasn't so sure inside. He fumbled his first stone twice, even with his 'beginner's form.' The Kaio boy couldn't hide his smirk as Hikaru finally set down his first stone.

'_Sai, I think I'm in trouble,'_ Hikaru admitted as the mid game began.

"It's alright, Hikaru, it is just beginning," the ghost assured, but Hikaru knew he couldn't do it as he was. He couldn't read deep enough into the game without losing track of things or feeling dizzy. He took a sip of his water, but knew he'd be better off with milk or peanut butter. He needed something with substance.

_'No, Sai, I can't do it like this,'_ it burned him to admit it, but this game was lost. On his right Tsutsui was in serious trouble, his cautious style failing miserably against his artful opponent. Kaga seemed fine, but they needed two wins to save the club. _'Sai, play for me. You did it with Shusaku; you can do it with me. If it's only once in a while then they no one will think anything of it. So long as no doctors are asking to study my brain it's fine.'_

"Alright, Hikaru, I will help you," Sai comforted, "Attach at 5-11." Hikaru placed the wobbly stone, glad to be able to clear his mind a little and focus only on the white noise of stone tapping wood to no particular rhythm and the smooth tenor of Sai's voice. He still followed the game and listened to Sai's comments beyond mechanically putting down the stones, but the pressure was gone. Sai would annihilate this boy in an even game, but Hikaru's messing around might as well have given the opponent a three stone handicap.

The stones flowed easily, and even Hikaru's fuzzy mind could see their patterns. The Kaio boy was good, and the game was rising to a higher level quickly. The sudden change had the other sitting straighter in his chair, concentrating hard. Hikaru saw a possible series and told it to Sai. The ghost answered him with a smile in his voice.

"You are recovering, Hikaru. You pushed yourself too far today, but the rest has done you good. That nurse is a terrible slave driver and you should complain about it. Telling her you felt dizzy later in the day will resolve the situation," Sai proclaimed. "That is a good plan for the lower left, but there is a better move in the upper right that has to be dealt with first."

Hikaru continued the game, recovering quickly. He didn't want Sai to know, but he thought that the ghost's joy at playing Go against a decent young opponent was leaking over into him and helping him along. It had been that way with Sai's despair at being trapped in a hospital room with no goban and a child that didn't know the first thing about playing Go. He'd thrown up everything for three days before Sai got a grip. It only made sense that the opposite would also be true. Hikaru started trying to guess where Sai would go next, the ghost enjoying their mental chatter as he calmly pushed the white stones all over the board. More and more territory fell to black's control until the inevitable resignation. The boy started to weep and the teacher from before came up behind him.

"This game could not have been made without you; you should be proud of it," the man, obviously the class advisor, assured his student. Hikaru looked over to see Kaga's smug expression and Tsutsui's comforting smile.

"I'm jealous," another voice said from behind Hikaru. He spun in his seat to see Toya Akira standing behind him. "You don't play that way against me."

"Toya-kun," Hikaru started, but couldn't come up with anything to say. The other boy's eyes were hard and accusing. He didn't need to say anything else, Hikaru heard it loud and clear: 'You go easy on me, don't you?' What could he say to such an implied insult?

"That's a 3-0 win for us," Kaga boasted.

"Tsutsui-san, you pulled it out?" He chirped, his attention pulled back to the older boys. Hikaru started clearing away his stones.

"My opponent made a costly mistake in the end game. I'm glad I decided to play through instead of resign. I'd have lost otherwise," the myopic boy shrugged. "Your game was great! I'd almost say fainting helped you play."

"We'll call him Short Circuit Shindo – better hope he doesn't get sick before you play him," Kaga laughed.

"Oh, are you alright?" Toya asked, worry thick in his voice. The other students around him started talking about how Hikaru had hit the floor earlier.

"I am fine now," Hikaru said, standing up to face the other boy, now finished putting away his stones. "I'm going to have to yell at my P.T. nurse. She ran me into the ground, I was tired before I even got here and I pushed myself too far. A couple minutes being horizontal, a bottle of water, and a few hands, and I'm back to normal."

"A 3-0 win against Kaio," Tsutsui was still stunned. "I never thought we'd pull it off."

"Come on Short Circuit, this is a cause for celebration." Kaga tried to toss an arm around him. "Keep this up and I'll teach you to play a real game, like Shogi."

"I think I'll pass. You looked like a bigger geek than Tsutsui-san when we met, what with that themed outfit you were wearing," Hikaru joked back, and ducked when Kaga lunged at him. "No offence, Tsutsui-san." All three teammates descended into laughter.

"None taken," Tsutsui managed through his giggles. Hikaru noticed that the team had formed a little circle of giggles with Toya standing silent on the side. The thin boy had never looked more out of place.

"Toya-kun, why did you come here today?" Hikaru tried to be polite but seemed to fail somehow.

"I had an interview about my admission; the Dean thought I'd enjoy watching the tournament. Imagine my surprise when I find you here after you said you were too busy to play Go for the next few weeks," Toya's voice was hard.

"I was… I am… This wasn't strictly voluntary," Hikaru tried to explain.

"Yeah, I'd beat his head in if he didn't come," Kaga laughed and put Hikaru in a headlock. Distracted by trying to calm Toya, Hikaru had no chance of defending against the sudden assault.

"Leave him alone, Kaga," Tsutsui begged, trying to calm the wild boy. He failed miserably, but the teachers called them over to accept their award, and that broke up the chaos quickly. When it was all over and the Haze team turned to leave Toya was nowhere to be found.

* * *

AN: **_I re-wrote this whole story._** You heard me: I printed it out, hit it with a red pen, and edited the whole thing. Go back and re-read if you like, most changes are subtle diction changes and grammar fixes. The bigger changes are in the first chapter. I've kicked the quality level in the hindquarters. I have 19,556 words of story, not counting reviews. Now, I will answer EVERY REVIEW from chapter five. Alright, I'm going to cheat slightly...  
Fey: Thanks a bunch. I was writing review responses (last thing I do before publishing and the only typing done in editor) when your review popped into my mailbox. So bam indeed. You see my dilemma about the schools, but I've made my choice. You'll see it later.  
Soara, Hekelachan, japanesenut: Good fathers tend to be treated with respect, so that's how I have Shindo's father. The little bit you do see of him in cannon is fairly supportive in that 'I'm always at work, but I don't object' kind of way. I gave him more screen time because after such an illness Hikaru would be closer to his parents.  
oO Yukiko Oo, Tatiana, PxW, TheHamsterInMyMind, Lizard13, kuro-no-tenshi-shiori-chan,digiMist, Purple Spotted Nori: Thank you!  
Gracie: Not daily, but whenever I feel I have enough to warrant the action. You need to check the definition of hentai – it has a very specific meaning, not exactly a proper description. Glad for the love, but watch out for my boyfriend – he's 6'4" and possessive. I based Akira's reaction to females on actual nerd sixth graders observed in their natural habitat: the city library's teen club coffee house. Talk about gender segregation, they won't breath the same air willingly. You should see the dance they do around the snack table!  
Zaynel: Yeah, both Sai and Koyo understood more of what was going on than our boys did, but that's the funniest part. The Meijin was a very happy camper after that last chapter, but I'm afraid I've had to pop his little happy bubble (and Akira's) in this chapter. It wouldn't do to suck all the angst and emotional turmoil out of the story too early. Hikaru's style is unreliable, and that allows Sai to act without being noticed a little more than he would normally. This is important because he is under scrutiny so quickly in this timeline.  
Pirata: I based Hikaru's dad on my own father. My family is in the dictionary next to the word 'weird' (or did he tape that picture in there?)  
Melissa: Thanks, cue the rainbow effect: The more you know! Except that he does use Meijin in place of his name the way Kurabara uses Honinbo as his name. Someone not into Go wouldn't know that, and so they would think t was weird and ask about it. I did go back and clarify that line, so go back and see the new edit.  
Akuma-river: A salary man is a guy with a white collar job, no? A middle management pencil pusher certainly qualifies, and that's what I made him. He's AVP of a single department in a large corporation. Like my dad. J I think I'll just wing the medical stuff from here. If I keep it vague and clarify nothing, I can't be wrong.  
-Purple Smile-: You made me die a little inside. Akira spends an entire page brain dead because of a pretty girl, and you assume he's gay. (Author slams head on coffee table pretending to be desk.) I suppose it could be read that Akira was glad Akari wasn't dating Shindo because he wanted a shot at Shindo, but seriously people… I write one slash piece and I'm branded.  
Jack of Trade: Well, I was distracted and it was a mostly crack chapter, so I'm almost glad you called me on it. Hope you enjoy the revisions.  
Barranca: Yes, to give the short answer. Hikaru's strength is hard to measure now because some of his Go is flawless and some is crap. Like a soccer player that can dribble and shoot, but can't do headshots or passes well. He is missing components of the skillset.  
Shizuka-san: Well, I must both disappoint your emotional ideal and vindicate your cognitive realism. I have no problem with shounen-ai, I wrote 15 chapters of it in the Harry Potter section before my better senses overcame me. Good point about the creepy and the pseudo-pedophilia. I like long reviews.  
DeathGodGirl: Hikaru uses Panda-glGo because I do, and I was the teacher that helped him find Net Go. It's a program that generates a graphic interface much simpler to use than the browser version. I mean one thousand percent better – anyone who's ever played a video game can use this sucker. Unlike myself (who has worked in IT and built computers from spare parts for fun) Hikaru isn't good with computers, but he has been to an arcade or ten. Your little brain aneurism of a crossover idea had me rolling. I've said before I think of Toya Akira as Bakura Ryo before the dye job and D&D guild.  
KatinkaV: No! Now I have to write that, even if it ends up being cut out later due to being totally erroneous to the plotline. You evil person!  
KagomeGirl021: If you've read the above, you know what I have to say about your comment. Let me add this: **_No romance for persons under the federal age of consent in Japan_**. That is 13 years of age, thank you.  
MajorMel: You… (re-reads review and blinks) You did research for me? Can I kiss you? Well, I still don't want to bother being specific until and unless I have to. I now have been compelled to re-read the chapters with Ochi ahead of time. I write this with the books right next to me, and I can be just as verbose as you. I pride myself at creating subtle relationships between characters: imperfect people fitting together imperfectly in an imperfect world. Friends fight, new friendships are fragile, and people come and go as time passes. One of the things I love most about HnG is how Hikaru meets, affects, befriends, and drifts away from so many people – unlike in other series where a core group is untouched from start to finish after some cursory exposition. (Sailor Moon, Nancy Drew) It's so much more realistic!

* * *


	7. Important Meetings

**Important Meetings**

Hikaru should have gone and settled things with Toya right away, but he didn't have the chance. His mother saw the fancy certificate he'd gotten for being second board sticking out of his bag and grounded him indefinitely for the lie. She'd even called Haze Jr. High and made him explain it to the administrators. Once they heard that Kaga was involved they'd been more understanding. Apparently the wild boy had quite a reputation among the school's authority figures. It probably would dissolve his chances of getting into Kaio. With weak entrance exam scores, a mediocre family with no high-class contacts, and his unusual school history he couldn't afford a blemish like this on his record. He was now sitting outside the Dean's office at Kaio while his mother talked to the snobbish man.

"Shindo?" a stern voice startled Hikaru out of his self-depreciating funk.

"Oh, hello, you were that teacher from the tournament. I don't think I caught your name," Hikaru attempted.

"My name is Yun," the teacher said as he sat down on the chair next to Hikaru, "What are you here for?"

"I'm trying to transfer into Kaio, Yun-sensei, but I don't think it's going to go well. I got passing scores on the entrance exam, but I don't know if that will be enough. Since there aren't any extracurricular club activities in home schooling it counts against me."

"I heard you aren't actually a seventh grader yet. Haze sent the trophy back," Yun was stern, and obviously wanted an explanation.

"Yeah… I don't go to any school. I've been in the hospital. Kaga said he'd throw me into a pool or worse if I didn't cooperate. "

"You may have entered the tournament under less than acceptable means, but you still played brilliantly. Couldn't you list Go as an extracurricular activity, since you must belong to some study group or salon?"

"I only just started that sort of thing. I've been playing online, and I put that down. The secretary said internet games don't count, because part of the point of clubs is developing social skills."

"What grade would you be in?"

"Well, I'm twelve, but that's actually a complicated question. Home school is different; the tutors give me material as fast as they think I can handle it instead of sticking to a strict curriculum." Hikaru paused and the man urged him on with a curious look and a nod. "My science grades are the worst, but they are passable to begin seventh grade. Math is better, but not by too much. My history grades are great, but I haven't been studying the right things according to Kaio's standards. I'm in the wrong era. My reading and vocabulary grades are seventh grade level already, and I've been studying some classical Japanese books that the public schools use in high school classes because I know so many kanji."

"That's from my lessons," Sai boasted, forgetting that Yun couldn't hear him. "Those new kana symbols don't have the same beauty of the traditional writing. Kanji are so much more elegant!"

"That is rather impressive, even if it isn't from a standard school. You shouldn't have any trouble academically," the teacher assured.

"It's more the fact that I'm not the right kind of student, or that's that the dean said before mom went in to talk to him. My social skills and status are the biggest issues," Hikaru sighed.

"I see," the man sighed. He seemed honestly disappointed.

"If I got in, would I be able to join the Go club, even though I lied before?"

"I think I would have to do something to penalize you, but I would have no problem with you joining. This is assuming that your deception was a onetime offence."

"Absolutely, Yun-sensei," Hikaru chirped. Sai echoed the sentiment, waving his fan dramatically. "I'd never have done it if Kaga hadn't forced me."

"He certainly seemed the dangerous type," Yun granted, and then the smile washed from his face. "It may help if I put in a good word for you."

"Would you?" Hikaru gasped, surprised.

"You won all your games. I didn't see the first rounds, but that last one was spectacular. I would have no problem sponsoring your admission."

"Thank you, Yun-sensei, I would really appreciate it," Hikaru gushed right along with Sai, even if his standards forced him to be more subdued about it. He wasn't some girl in need of rescue.

The teacher rose and walked over to the secretary. The woman had a pinched face and a tight bun that made her look ten years older than she was. The frumpy pantsuit she wore certainly wasn't helping. She had a quiet conversation with Yun that made it clear what her opinion of the boy with partially bleached hair was. After a long moment she jabbed the phone and alerted the dean about the teacher's request to be part of the discussion. He disappeared into the office after a tinny response Hikaru couldn't make out.

"I thought an interview for admission to the school would include an actual interview of the student in question," Sai's derisive comment was a little out of character, but the spirit had been having odd mood swings recently.

_'I thought so too, but apparently they don't need to talk to a kid like me,'_ Hikaru grumbled, somewhat happy that Sai wasn't trying to be cheery about something that pissed him off so badly. _'I'm just some punk with dyed hair and special needs. Never mind that I might actually be a decent student now, my grades before the accident were bad.'_

"I'd hardly say that asking them to exclude you from certain sports until the pump is removed is a hardship for the school," Sai ranted on. "The latest doctors' reports were good, except that you tire more easily than perhaps is normal. You don't require any additional attention from the instructors."

"Shindo-kun, the dean will see you now," Yun informed him as he opened door. "I hope to see you at the first club meeting of the new semester. It will be the second Wednesday of the term." He seemed to make a point of saying this loudly while holding the door open for Hikaru.

"I hope so and thanks again," Hikaru nodded on his way passed the man. He settled into the chair next to his mother and several quiet moments went by where the dean just looked him over. Perhaps his lucky 5 T-shirt wasn't the best choice, but he was wearing slacks instead of jeans.

"You play Go," the dean's statement fell flat between them. He had a pad of paper with sloppy writing scrawled over it. Hikaru figured they were his notes for the meeting.

"Yes, sir, I've been playing for two years. I'm ranked as a 2-dan armature player online," Hikaru tried to boast.

"You have been taking classes online as well… You seem to spend an awful lot of time with a computer."

"I couldn't exactly get up and go to a Go salon any time I wanted," Hikaru couldn't stop himself from saying. "I did what I could with what I had. I've gone to a regional tournament at the Go Institute, as an observer, and several other events and salons. I like sports too, but I can't actually play for another few months."

"Your grades prior to becoming hospitalized were quite poor," the dean accused.

"I was more focused on playing soccer than anything else. I've been doing much better since the accident."

"With private tutoring, an improvement is to be expected." Hikaru frowned and his mother sighed. Sai started talking rapidly, urging Hikaru to echo him.

"It's not just that. I got way behind in the beginning because I didn't have any classes for ages. I've caught up on nearly a year of missed schoolwork, and some of the work I'm doing is more advanced than sixth grade. If I can excel like that with the individual attention home schooling gives, then I should be fine in a regular class. I'm not going to be missing huge stretches of classes because of illness like I have been," Hikaru repeated as best he could. The dean wrote something down, but it seemed rather short compared to what Hikaru said.

"Why do you want to be in Kaio?" the dean asked, obviously reading from a list of standard questions.

"Well, dad says it will be a better for me socially. My old friends don't hang out with me much because I can't play soccer with them anymore. That's about all I ever had in common with any of them, and they are all going to Haze soon. I think he's right, I should look for new friends and I could start over in a school that I don't know many people in. I've started playing Go and gathering new friends that way. First there was Toya-kun…" Hikaru started.

"You are friends with Toya Akira?" the dean interrupted.

"I'd say so. We had an argument when we last saw each other. Um, it was more of a misunderstanding really, and then he left before I could explain. I haven't had the chance to talk to him since. We hung out at his dad's Go salon and he invited me to lunch and stuff. I haven't been out of the hospital long enough to really make new friends."

"This incident with the tournament, you made two new friends and they brought you here for that, correct?" the Dean asked after taking down the situation with Toya nearly verbatim.

"No way! Kaga is not my friend. Tsutsui-san is nice, and he apologized for the whole thing so many times, but Kaga's rough. He threatened both of us and lied to me about several things. He could quiet a crying baby, and I'd rather never see him again if you know what I mean." Hikaru didn't think the dean was at all convinced. "Tsutsui-san and I are both rather wimpy physically, and he's just a really nice guy. I think Kaga's on the Judo team or something, and he would do just about anything if he thought it might be fun. I don't want to hang out with a guy like that."

"Alright," the dean acknowledged, but Hikaru didn't think he convinced him. It would help if hanging out with Kaga hadn't been quite so much fun. "Do you have any other skills of talents?"

"I'm really good at reading classical Japanese. My teacher says I'm about entry level for eighth grade," Hikaru paused and looked down, embarrassed about what he was about to say. "I, uh, really like classical poetry. The old romance novels and diaries are interesting too. It's… You see why I don't have anything to talk about with my old soccer friends. I couldn't tell them I'm reading thousand year old love poems for fun." That was all Sai's fault. When he found out Hikaru had access to a literature library through his homeschooling program he'd insisted Hikaru check out some of the e-books. They were right at his fingertips, after all. Back when Hikaru still didn't like Go all that much he would often make a bargain with the ghost about doing something more entertaining. One day Hikaru was so tired from his illness that he couldn't keep his eyes open, but he couldn't fall asleep because of one of the medications they had him on prevented it. Sai had started reading the book Hikaru had open, and later suggested some other books that the ghost had liked when he was younger. The ghost categorically refused to read manga or modern pop-culture novels, saying they were terribly written. So long as Hikaru was awake enough to hit the 'page down' key Sai could read anything he liked, and he most often chose to read aloud. He insisted Hikaru try to read along with him when he was aware enough, and after so much exposure to it Hikaru began to like the elegant old poems and books. It was the same way his parents had forced him to learn to like turnips when he was in first grade: just keep feeding it to him and he'll cotton on to the idea.

"It is an unusual hobby for teenage boys on a soccer team," the dean allowed, scribbling away. "How did you get into it?"

"Not much to do in a hospital bed. The program I used to do my school work included an electronic library. It didn't have many modern fiction books, and the classical books had reading guides to help students along. The guides get locked away for the books I was scheduled to read for class until after I took the test, but those were the more modern books anyway. If you read enough Heian era poetry, you start to really appreciate it."

"You seem to have changed rather dramatically during your illness, but I think it was simply a lack of options that forced you into appearing more studious." The dean leaned back and shuffled his papers, scribbling down a few more things.

"I nearly died. It would be strange if I didn't change," Hikaru quoted Sai. "A major life event tends to reshuffle your priorities. I've read about that sort of thing over and over in novels. Someone gets stabbed, falls ill, has a baby, gets married, loses a friend in battle, or is forced to move to a new area and their lives change dramatically. I'm not the same person I was two years ago, I can't go back to being exactly as I was then. Maybe a few of my bad habits will come back, but chances are I'll be better off academically. I tried things I never would have tried, I learned to like things I never thought I would like, and while I may not have a clear idea of where I'm going to be twenty years down the road I know I will end up somewhere I never would have ended up if this hadn't happened to me."

"Most little boys learn to like new things between fourth and sixth grades," Mitsuko spoke up for her son. "They get exposed to more things, and they open up to the wider world around them a little more each day. That's what being a child is about." She was probably quoting one of the parenting books she'd started reading when Hikaru got sick. "You can't hold it against him that he's made the best of his illness by learning new skills and taking new hobbies."

"Well, he certainly knows how to express himself. I'd almost say that was scripted," the dean scoffed. "The school administrators will look over my notes for this interview and his transcript before they cast their vote. I'll have my secretary phone you when the decision has been finalized." The Shindos stood and bowed to the dean, having a good impression of what sort of answer they were going to get. They didn't speak until they got to a station where they needed to switch trains.

"Would you like to stop at a ramen shop?" his mother asked him, obviously looking to cheer him up after the horrible experience.

"Alright, I'm starving!" Hikaru chirped, completely distracted from the interview by the idea of his favorite food. They walked down the inner city street until they saw a decent looking place and ordered a couple bowls of ramen.

"Deliver this to the Go salon in the back, would you?" Hikaru heard the chef order one of the delivery boys when he was nearly done his second bowl.

"Hey, when you get back tell me if there's a little redheaded kid there. He lost a bet with me last week and I'd like to see if his luck is better today," one of the customers requested loudly.

"A Go salon with a kid… I didn't see a sign for it. Where is the salon?" Hikaru asked.

"Eh? It's just around the other side of the building, hang a left outside and down the alley. It's down a set of stairs," the portly man said in a gravelly voice. "You play Go?"

"Yeah, I love to play, but I don't get the chance to play against people my own age much," Hikaru said to the man, and then quickly turned to his mother. "Can we check it out mom?"

"Don't know if it's the sort of place you'd like to go…" the man said.

"We can take a look," she said in a tone that implied she didn't want to, but would do it to cheer him up. She finished her ramen and the pair followed the directions to a rather seedy looking door. "Hikaru, I don't think this is a nice place."

"He said a kid comes here sometimes. Maybe it's nicer inside," Hikaru argued and pushed open the door. The room was narrow, grey, and smelled heavily of smoke. Hikaru sneezed at it as he walked in, his mother trailing after him uncertainly. Hikaru scanned the group of middle aged men and spotted the flaming red hair of the boy the other customer had mentioned.

"Hello," and old man behind the counter greeted them. "The student fee is 500 yen, and the adult fee is 800."

"Ok," Hikaru said and turned to his mother. "Did you want to play me a little?" he asked quietly, "I want to sit next to that other boy's board and see how good he is. I'll help you."

"I suppose…" Mitsuko said ad paid the fee for both of them. "I don't like the atmosphere in this place."

"It isn't as nice as the other salon," Hikaru said as quietly as he could, "but it's just a place to play a game. Think of it like an arcade. Some are nicer than others, but it's the people that matter." Hikaru sat next to the red-headed boy's opponent and his mother walked around the long table. A glance at the other goban showed that the both players were fairly skilled, but the younger one was winning. "Put down four stones, alright?" Hikaru told his mother.

"Alright," she said, setting down a black stone in each corner. Hikaru set down his white stone and she responded. The hands went back and forth for a while.

"You shouldn't put it there," he told him mother before she let go of her next stone. "I'll just put my white stone next to it and capture it anyway. You should try to make this group stronger over here," he pointed out. "So these three spots are all good places."

"I'm not very good at this," she admitted.

"I know, that's why I'm teaching you," Hikaru smiled at her. "Try to capture this stone or connect these two shapes."

"You're a nice looking lady," the man sitting next to Hikaru said. "Don't see many ladies like you in Go salons." His game was winding down. It was obvious the red-headed boy was going to win. There wasn't enough unclaimed territory left to make up the difference.

"Thank you, but I'm married," Mitsuko replied politely. "I've been trying to learn to play for a few months."

"You're not bad, but you're losing by at least nine points," Hikaru observed, and put down another white stone. "You're much better than my mom, though."

"Ah, so you're son here is teaching you to play? That's nice of him, but I think I can close the gap in this game."

"I just want to understand what he's up to. Walking into a place like this like it's an arcade… no offence but it is an adult environment."

"We're not bad people, on the whole," the man said. Hikaru and his mother played a few more hands.

"Oh, I don't have a chance," she lamented.

"Put your next stones here and here and see what happens," Hikaru instructed. A light of understanding passed through his mother's eyes for a moment and she was able to actually secure a patch of territory for herself. "See this shape? I can't attack that shape no matter what I do. You can fight me off all over the place."

"Damn, nine and a half points short," the older man suddenly grunted. "You're son called it." He then pulled out a thousand yen note and passed it across the table.

"Thank you for the game," the boy said in a quiet but commanding voice. Hikaru had been watching him the whole time they'd been sitting there. He seemed sly and mildly dangerous in a way Hikaru associated with kids that grew up in the rougher parts of town. His bright red shirt and vibrant suspenders caught just as much attention as his flaming red hair, but his personality seemed cool and reserved. At least it did over the goban, Hikaru knew he seemed a lot more mature when he was playing and Sai was an extreme example of the same.

"Um, do you mind playing me?" Hikaru asked the other boy. "I don't get to play other kids much, and you look good."

"I bet a thousand yen a game," he commented.

"Gambling, Hikaru?" Hikaru's mother gasped. Hikaru looked down at the goban that the other two players were clearing away. He could remember the exact patterns, and unless the other boy was going easy on the older man…

"I guess I could take his money," Hikaru said cheekily. "If he wants to just give it away like that." That got the other's attention.

"What makes you so sure you can beat me? That game's all over the place," the other boy pointed at the ridiculous splattering of stones he and his mother made.

"You think I'm going to go all out on my own mother when she's just learning the game? I said I was teaching, and that works better if you ease up on the opponent a little… or a lot, sorry mom," Hikaru shrugged, "but you really are terrible." He cleared away the aborted game.

"I'm going to get some tea," she said exasperatingly.

"Do you mind playing a game with me while you do? I wouldn't bet against a novice," the other man asked. "Show you a few things you can use to put your son in his place." The two walked over to the counter, Hikaru's mother seeming highly uncomfortable but unable to refuse. Hikaru hopped over into the man's empty chair.

"My name's Shindo Hikaru," he said as he pulled out a handful of white stones.

"Mitani Yuki," the redhead replied, placing down a single black stone. They counted and switched bowls.

"Please," Hikaru bowed.

"Please," Mitani replied, and they began. The stones clicked onto the board. Hikaru still held his stones awkwardly between his thumb and forefinger while Mitani had perfect form. It was a slower game, each player taking his time finding a good place to play. Hikaru chanced some of his wilder moves. Some of them fell through in spectacular failure while others became equally spectacular gains. They traded sente in different areas of the board, dancing around each other with swords drawn. Hikaru was excited by the challenge of it, and Sai was silent and still as he observed.

"I resign," Mitani said when they were nearly to the end game. It was a close game, and Hikaru figured he'd win by only two or three points after komi.

"That was a great game," Hikaru admitted, "It was close most of the way through. Want to discuss it?"

"I messed up the lower right," Mitani said with an air of finality, handing over the thousand yen bet.

"Not really. It was this stone in the low center more than anything else," Hikaru argued. "It should have been closer to the rest of the stones to the right or left, I think."

"That would have given you an opportunity to invade the lower territory," Mitani pointed out.

"No, I would have attached above to stop it growing up the side, and then you could have placed another stone on the other side to solidify things. If I anticipated that and tried to play below your stones I would have been easily captured with how thick you are here," Hikaru pointed out. "You went to get the whole lower side too fast, and I was able to capture and make life on the right."

"You went suicidal over here," he countered. "The upper left fell to pieces."

"I went out on a limb and tried to build it backwards. I thought if I attached here and set up a good defense here and here I could hold you back, but then you invaded that area before I had a chance. I didn't have a strong enough presence to kick you out once you were in, and without the support structure the first couple moves were meaningless," Hikaru admitted.

"That's a good idea, but you'd never pull it off. There's no way anyone wouldn't respond here. You've obviously been playing your mom too much," Mitani drawled.

"It could have worked if I was doing something else to distract you, but I played too many of the moves consecutively and the threat became obvious." They both began to clear away the game.

"You want another game?" Mitani asked after a short pause.

"We have to get home, it's getting late," Hikaru's mother chimed in before Hikaru could say anything.

"I want to play again," Hikaru rebelled, "but maybe another day," he added when he saw his mother's face.

"Here," she said, handing Mitani a piece of paper, "That's our number. Hikaru had a board, so you could come over and play sometime That way you can _save_ your money."

"Talk to you later, then," Hikaru said and gave Mitani a look that screamed 'It's my mom; I can't do anything about her.'

"See you around," Mitani's quiet voice dismissed them. On the way home Hikaru had to endure a lecture about several subjects ranging from personal safety to the hazards of gambling. Mitsuko spent a full ten minutes ranting about how 'that poor boy' should be set straight by a responsible adult. Hikaru thought it was worth it.

* * *

AN: Well, some people are going to think I'm mean, and I suppose I am torturing poor little Akira, but you have to understand my position. Akira makes such a cute little squeak when you poke him, and I had to start him chasing after Hikaru's 'illusion' somehow. Plot point no one caught: the reason the other boy didn't recognize Shindo as being too young to be in the tournament is because his little brother doesn't play soccer or hang out at the playground with Hikaru in this timeline. Can't have him getting away with that if he's applying to Kaio, now can we?  
CrisscrossAnime: thank you so much for pointing out that when I uploaded the revised chapters I put chapter 5 in twice and left out chapter 4.  
Whispering Darkness: Well, then I guess you loved this chapter with Mitani as well.  
Gracie: I love your reviews. Thank you, I try hard to keep the characterization on point. They won against Kaio 3:0 in the cannon, so why not here as well? Kaio's one player just started sobbing, also as per cannon. Affectionate is the right word, and I was trying to say that Akira thought _Akari_ was attractive. Just because he's painfully shy doesn't mean he can't want her to be available. Reading it again, I like how vague it is. You can take it either way and so more people will like it.  
digiMist, -Purple Smile-: You had trouble reviewing? I don't know if that should be a compliment or not. Thank you for the effort! 


	8. Further Developments

**Further Developments**

Hikaru packed up his books and walked out of the classroom. A letter had come from Kaio a week after the interview. His father had been so angry at Kaio's snobbish attitude that when offered a chance to appeal their negative decision he'd flipped. First he'd gotten two letters of recommendation from high-level financial associates. Then he wrote a cost-benefit analysis of allowing Hikaru into the school detailing the money the school would make from his Go and reading talents at well-known essay and game competitions versus the cost to the school to allow for his physical limitations. Then he went in person to deliver the packet and have a chat with the school board at one of their open PTA meetings. Finally he proclaimed that such a close-minded school administration couldn't possibly run a school well enough for such a bright and creative boy as his son and left the room. Hikaru wished he could have seen the looks on their faces. His father might be just a middle management pencil pusher, but when he pulled out all his talents he could move mountains. Perhaps those mountains were made of forms filled out in triplicate and red tape, but that was what he was good at.

"Mitani-kun?" Hikaru jogged forward a few steps, stretching his legs to catch up with the spot of bright red he'd seen through the crowd.

"Hey, Shindo-kun, I haven't seen you around," he drawled. The redhead seemed tired.

"I've been in lockdown. One of the sempais here, Kaga, twisted my arm until I played second board at a tournament I wasn't eligible to play in. Mom found out when she saw the first place certificate and hit the roof," Hikaru huffed. "That's why I was with her when we met, and I haven't been able to prove myself trustworthy yet. Failing to get into Kaio didn't help."

"Well, I made a lot of money waiting for you, so it's not like I lost out," he drawled. "Sit together at lunch?"

"Sure, it gives me a reason to not sit with Akari and her group," Hikaru shrugged. It turned out their lockers were in the same row, so they were able to collect their bento boxes and head over to the cafeteria without breaking conversation. Mitani never said more than a few sentences at a time, and there was a long silence when they dug into their meals, but it was the most comfortable Hikaru had been talking to someone in a long time. Mitani's quiet way of talking brought Hikaru's own speach down to just above a whisper. It turned out they liked the same music, disliked math, and followed the soccer World Cup.

"So, when do we get our star striker back?" a boy said, interrupting Mitani's sparse description of his family.

"Oh, hey Katsuhara-kun, I haven't seen you in ages," Hikaru greeted uncomfortably. "Mitani-kun, this is one of the guys I used to play soccer with."

"I thought you looked more like a jock than a Go player," Mitani smirked.

"Go? You don't seriously play that old man's game? Never mind. You are joining the soccer team, right Shindo?"

"Sorry, I can't, doctor's orders and dad's decree. Go isn't an old man's game unless you are playing against an old man. It's fun if it's people your own age," Hikaru explained.

"No way Shindo, I thought it was just until you got out. You'll be back next year or something though, right?" Katsuharu insisted, his loud voice attracting plenty of attention. Several other boys Hikaru recognized dimly from his old team poked their heads over the tables.

"It's the Go club for me, forever," Hikaru said without a hint of remorse. "It's got all the excitement of a tournament without sore legs the next morning."

"Don't bother, Shindo-kun," Mitani breathed, looking bored. "These kind of people aren't meant to play Go. If he isn't smart enough to understand simple words, he's hopeless."

"Listen here, punk, where do you get off calling me stupid?" The athlete towered over the sitting boy.

"He said he can't play. If you keep bugging him about it you'll only succeed on making him a fool of yourself."

"I'll make a mess out of your face is what I'll do!" He took a swing at the smaller boy, but Mitani dodged it easily. He slid out of his chair and stood glaring at the outraged boy.

"I might not look it, but I'm strong and I know how to fight properly. Don't mess with me," Mitani warned, his quiet voice taking on a cold edge. Instead of saying anything, the soccer player just kicked at him. Mitani dodged again and swept to the side, letting the other boy's momentum pull him forward. Once he was behind him, Mitani gave him a shove. "I live in a bad part of town, sort of place you wouldn't be caught dead in after dark. From the looks of your hair and clothes I'd say you live in a good suburb, probably got rich parents. For the last time, get lost."

"You think you're slick?" the soccer player took another swing at the smaller boy, but Mitani just jumped over the lunch table and looked bored. When the angry jock came after him he kicked over the bench seat. Katsu went ass over teakettle, landing awkwardly and rolling over until he came to rest on the ground at Mitani's feet.

"I think I don't have to actually hit you to win this," Mitani scoffed as the P.E. teacher came running over. When asked, Mitani feigned innocence. "He was bugging us so I told him to get lost. He went nuts and I jumped over the table to get out of range. He fell trying to follow me."

"Mitani-kun didn't hit him," Shindo agreed. "He just dodged." Some of the other students chimed in, including another guy from the soccer team, all agreeing Katsuhara was outclassed by the redhead. By the time it was all cleared up, and Katsuhara sent to the nurse for the crack to his skull, it was the end of lunch.

"Hey, Mitani," Hikaru started.

"Yeah?" he said, closing his locker.

"That was cool. Thanks."

"I didn't do it for you. He was giving me a headache. At least you keep your voice quieter than a bullhorn," Mitani looked Hikaru straight in the eye for once, and Hikaru realized that the redhead was a lot more than just tired. The other boy looked wrung out, but he figured it was best not to ask.

"Still, I feel like I owe you a favor, and I hate that. If you need something, give me a call," Hikaru encouraged. "Mom makes a prison warden look soft, but I haven't lost phone rights."

"How long is the lockdown for?"

"I don't know, but I'm thinking she's ready to crack, and I got the OK to stay after for the Go club tomorrow so I can get out of the house if I have a reason." Hikaru stopped walking. "This is my class."

"You can't make any money at a school club. I'll see you around," Mitani said in the same quiet tone he'd used at lunch.

The next day Tsutsui was happy to see Hikaru at the first club meeting. Akari appeared a few minutes later, insisting that she was going to find enough girls to be in the club so she could go to the tournament. They spent a half hour making up posters for the club before Mitani showed up, a curious look on his face.

"Is this seriously where the Go club meets?" he asked, looking suspicious.

"Yep, but we're brainstorming ways to get new members and money right now," Hikaru explained, "This is our first full year of operation, and we only have one board to play on, so it's going to be a bit of work."

"I see… So what do you have so far?" Mitani asked. When he looked up after setting down his bag Hikaru took a good look at him. He hadn't seen him in the lunch room, and he'd wondered if he was out sick. The other boy didn't seem quite as tired as he did the day before.

"We made a couple posters, and I was thinking about selling cookies," Akari chirped. Mitani gave her a long look.

"It's a start," Tsutsui shrugged, "I'm Tsutsui Kimihiro, and eighth grader and founder of the club."

"Mitani Yuki, nice to meet you," he said, sitting down and looking over the posters. "A fund raiser will get the word out."

"It was Hikaru's idea," Akari said as if that was proof of something. Actually, it had been a group effort. Sai pointed out the club would be boring with only one board for all the members. Hikaru had wondered about that and how they could get another board out loud, and Tsutsui said they didn't have any money and would have to raise some. "I'm Fujisaki Akari, by the way."

"It kills two shapes with one stone," Hikaru joked. Tsutsui and Mitani stared at him while Akari looked puzzled. "Alright, I get it, it was a bad joke. Since the posters are finished, can we have a game?"

"I can draw up a go board on some graph paper and we can share the stones. We should have enough for both games," Tsutsui said, pulling out his math folder.

"I want to play Shindo first," Mitani said.

"Alright, then we can rotate opponents from there," Akari bubbled, setting up the broken board on a lab stool. They had enough time for two quick games before they had to head home, Mitani moaning about how pitiful Akari was and cursing his luck at having drawn her as his second game. Just before they left, Akari insisted Tsutsui take down a record of the games and their results. "It's more official that way," she insisted.

It was the third week of school, and the Go club had gotten permission to set up a small table to sell cookies and promote their new club. It had taken some doing, the school festival was a way off and the administrators preferred to restrict this kind of activity. Reminding them of the tournament, and that Hikaru was a legal member of the club now, had gone a long way to getting permission. Akari and Tsutsui had come over to Hikaru's house and with Hikaru's mother's help they baked several types of cookies and muffins. They were doing fairly well as far as sales, but there wasn't much interest in the club itself. A few older students said they played with their relatives, and there was a girl on the volleyball team that said she was very good, but it wasn't encouraging. Hikaru wouldn't let it get him down; at least they were getting the word out. They had to set up on an open patio near the sports areas instead of in the front, but that was fine since there was a lot of traffic between the two main buildings. The library overlooked the patio, so anyone looking out the window could see them.

"Well, we have more than enough for a cheap folding board," Mitani observed. "That's just from yesterday. If we sell as much today we can get a third board with some left over for whatever."

"Some kifu books, or else blank ones to record the games properly the way Fujisaki-chan wants," Tsutsui thought out loud. "The school will front the entrance fee for the team tournaments."

"We should definitely get record books, so we can track our progress," Akari chirped.

"Why you would want to record how bad you are now is beyond me," Hikaru moaned, depositing another handful of coins in their cashbox.

"I won't be a beginner forever! Tsutsui said I'm learning quickly!" Akari shouted.

"In any case, the Go club is going to be a lot of fun," Tsutsui proclaimed in his proudest voice.

"This is a landmark occasion," Hikaru declared, raising his voice in excitement, "Tsutsui is the founder and we're the first members. We're making school history! If we do it right, we'll be immortalized in the school records."

"Yeah!" Akari agreed readily. "We'll be like celebrities in a few years. We'll have to take a picture sometime, the whole group of us."

"We'll only be remembered if we win something, and without two more girls you can't even enter the tournament," Mitani drawled.

"Shindo-kun?" Toya's voice suddenly cut through the chatter.

"Hey, Toya-kun. What are you doing here?"

* * *

AN: I know it's short but I've already started on the next chapter. I just wanted to get this up, with all its plot development, so you can read and review and speculate while I write chapter 9. I just felt this was a good place to stop and cut it because I want to change perspectives and rewind time a little. I thought it would be awkward to change so dramatically mid-chapter so here you go. I'll answer chapter 7 and 8 reviews together when I post chapter 9. Chapter 9's title is: Perspective of the Abandoned. 


	9. Perspective of the Abandoned

Perspective of the Abandoned

"Toya Akira, I would like a word with you, if you don't mind," a polite voice called as Akira was taking his shoes from his locker. The teen turned to look up at a man he didn't fully recognize.

"Yes, Sensei?" he asked, mind racing over anything he might have done wrong or forgotten about over the short time he'd been at Kaio. He hadn't done anything intentionally, but he wasn't exactly popular with some of the other kids in his class. That one boy had been rather offended when Toya admitted he knew nothing about baseball or soccer, and bullies had certainly tried to pin things on him in the past.

"I'm Yun, the advisor of the Go club." Several of the other students in the locker room were looking over. Toya figured they were in the club, and hoped he wasn't about to be asked to join. "There was a boy who was going to start Kaio this year named Shindo Hikaru. He said he was a friend of yours, and he was very interested in the Go club. He was rather ill, from what I understand, and I was wondering if you knew anything about it."

"Oh," Toya said, thrown completely off balance. He honestly hadn't even considered Shindo's illness when the other boy had disappeared from his life. He'd been too angry about him not playing with his full strength and figured the other boy had not wanted to talk to him after being caught out. "I don't know, sir. I haven't talked to him in a while," Akira said, mentally cursing himself. True, the game Shindo had played that day was in another universe compared to the wavering and stumbling strength he'd shown Akira, but he hadn't given the boy a chance to explain. His style when playing Akira had been sharp and twisted: he'd make bad moves that turned out to be brilliant and good moves that ended up being terribly weak. Perhaps his opponent had struck him just exactly on that balance and his potential was unleashed? No, that was impossible. The game he played at the tournament was the sort of game Akira's father would play. It showed a deep and even power that gently overwhelmed the weaker player in a teaching game.

"I know he was accepted, but there was a commotion about it. When I asked the secretary she shouted at me for encouraging whatever it was that happened. I'm not sure if he is actually enrolled," Yun explained.

"I know he was having trouble getting in because his schooling was abnormal," Akira agreed. "I'll have to find out."

"Please tell me when you do," the teacher said. "He was an amazing, if slightly unreliable, player and I was looking forward to watching his style develop." With that the teacher nodded his farewell. Akira was left with the bitter feeling of having turned his back on someone who did not deserve it. He hurried outside and saw the car waiting for him. He had to set this right, even if it meant confirming that Shindo was holding out on him.

Ichikawa-san let Akira use her phone to call Shindo's house, glad that he hadn't removed the scrap of napkin Shindo had scribbled on from his wallet. A woman, Shindo's mother he guessed, answered and said that Hikaru was staying after school for the Go club at Haze Jr. High so that's where he asked the salon clerk to drop him off. After thanking her for the ride and explaining that he'd take the bus from there Akira set upon his mission.

He asked the first person he saw, which turned out to be one of a pair of girls. They didn't know what a Go club was. That was fine; perhaps they were first year students. He asked a few older looking boys and they didn't know anything either. He walked over to a couple boys in baseball uniforms and got a similar answer. At least those two knew enough about Go to ask if he meant to ask for the Shogi club. Akira felt like he'd been dropped onto an alien planet. Could so many people know nothing about Go? Could a club good enough for Shindo to join really be so little known? Why would someone of his level be happy in a school Go club anyway? He saw a woman in a lab coat getting into a car and rushed over.

"Excuse me," he called.

"Yes, oh, a Kaio student, right? How can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm looking for the Go club, but I'm having trouble. Does it really exist?"

"Go club? You must be talking about _them_. They could be in the science room with the old goban and cracked stones my father used to play with," she explained. Akira was floored. Shindo's Go club met in the science room around a single castaway goban? "If you go around that way you'll come to the science room's window. If they aren't in there keep going around the building to the right where the sports complex is. They were selling cookies there yesterday."

"Alright," he said shakily and started walking. This was just wrong. None of the windows he passed were open, so he continued around the corner. He saw a girl eating a muffin and couldn't stop himself from asking about the elusive Haze school Go club. He had to know if he'd imagined that teacher.

"I didn't think the cookie stand would be popular enough for someone from another school to come looking. They're just over there, and they still have chocolate chip muffins left." Akira thought he might scream. He was not here for a muffin!

"Thank you, but I actually play Go and am looking for someone in particular. Is Shindo-kun there?" he restrained himself to saying. If she said no he could leave and just try calling his house again later.

"I don't know any of their names, but the whole club is working at the stand," she said. "I have to get back to the painting club, excuse me." As she walked away Akira thought he heard her call him a weirdo, but he ignored it. If someone from this _place_ thought he was weird then he'd take it as a compliment.

"Shindo?" he asked as he walked around a row of pillars holding up an awning between the buildings.

"Hey, Toya-kun. What are you doing here?" Shindo asked. Akira took a moment to collect himself. Shindo was standing behind a table with various baked goods wrapped in plastic. A fair number of students had collected on the patio, snacking on the treats and chatting. Standing closest to Shindo was a boy with red hair Akira would bet wasn't completely natural that was either very bored or very angry. On Shindo's other side was a girl with hair dyed the color of red wine, that pink-purple shade simply couldn't be natural. On her other side, Akira's far right, was a boy with oversized glasses and sensible hair. That couldn't be the whole club, could it?

"I came to find out why you didn't come to Kaio," Toya said as calmly as he could, sidestepping a rather chunky boy to get to the table. "Yun-sensei said you'd been accepted, but there was some commotion about it."

"You got into Kaio and you came here?" the boy with glasses said, amazed.

"It was my dad. He got really pissed off at how snobby the dean was about letting me in with my weird school record and lower-class family. He said something to my mom while they were alone about a boy like me being happier around kids of my same social level," Shindo said like it was no big deal. "So he did what he does best: pulling strings in back rooms as a set up, financial analysis reports, and convincing people that he is right about how they should run their business. He even dug up something about the school's budget to toss at them. By the time he was finished the dean had enough egg on his face to supply the cafeteria." The other boy giggled about this, scratching the back of his head. "Once he heard the words 'your son is accepted' he turned around and very politely told them where they could shove the acceptance letter."

"Harsh," the dangerous looking redhead snorted.

"Shindo-san is… a lot like Hikaru-kun," the girl said thoughtfully. "It takes something special to make him truly angry, but once you do it you'd better get out of the way."

"I see," Toya said, wondering if he should have gone home to change out of his uniform. "You haven't been back to the salon either. I'm usually there."

"He's been in lockdown, but we fixed that," the redhead said. "He came to a salon with me this past weekend."

"I hate owing a debt, and Mitani-kun helped me out a lot," Shindo said, motioning to the redhead. Then he pointed over at the other two. "You remember Akari, and that's Tsutsui-san, by the way."

"You can call me Fujisaki-chan," the bubbly girl chirped. Akira's memory finally kicked in, this was the girl from the ramen shop. Tsutsui just waved awkwardly, as he had been grabbed by a customer.

"It wasn't that big a deal," Mitani drawled, "and your mom makes good curry." He was glaring at Akira from the corner of his eye, and he was standing very close to Shindo. It twisted something inside Akira, and he suddenly hated the other boy.

"I don't see why someone with your strength is in a school club anyway," Akira said. "Don't you want a greater challenge?"

"What bigger challenge is there than working to build a club from scratch? It's annoying to play endless teaching games against some people," he glanced over at Akari when he said this, "but it's a lot of fun to work together. We're going to get as many new members as we can and do our best at the next tournament, right Tsutsui-san?"

"Yeah," the gangly boy said, beaming with happiness. "We'll all work hard together."

"You may be the founder of the club, but there is a good chance you won't be in the tournament, Tutsui-san. It wouldn't take much for a new member to surpass you," the redhead murmured just loud enough to be heard.

"Well, that's true, but you and Shindo-kun are both very strong. If we found a third even close to your level I'd be happy to step aside." It seemed that Mitani was as abrasive as Tsutsui was nice. With Shindo's tactless nature, they made quite the set.

"You don't find people like us just wandering around, Tsutsui-san. I wouldn't even bother with this club if it wasn't for Shindo." There seemed to be something behind the other boy's speech, and Akira didn't miss the familiar way he spoke of Shindo. Akira identified the twist in his gut as jealousy, though it was his own fault. If he wanted to be Shindo's friend he should have come after him weeks ago.

"Please don't say that, Mitani-kun," the girl panicked. "We need you here! We're going to be part of school history, remember? We're founding a legacy!"

"Do you have to scream in my ear?" he asked, and suddenly Shindo jumped.

"Leave him alone, Akari. He's here and he's staying," Hikaru quieted the girl. "Anyway, I'd like to come over to your dad's salon sometime. This is the last day for the cookie sale."

"Alright," Akira said, feeling out of place. "If you don't mind me asking, why weren't you allowed to go out?"

"He got caught gambling," Akari accused. "He was already grounded at the time."

"It wasn't a big deal, but mom went nuts," Shindo assured. "Mitani came over and we played a few games. It was only a couple coins between friends."

"Oh," Akira said, his hand toying with the tablecloth. Shindo had been grounded, not sick. He let out an irritated breath. Shindo had been grounded for gambling with this Mitani person.

"We'll be here for another two hours, that's when the clubs are all over. I've got a ton of homework to do, and my mom will skin me if I don't go home to do it. Tsutsui can't be at the club tomorrow so I could come over to the salon then, if that's alright," Shindo said.

"Yes, I'll be waiting for you tomorrow after school." Akira tossed his shoulders back, for once sure of what he was saying. There was no way Shindo would forget him. No matter how good the red-head was, Akira would be a greater challenge.

"Uh, you'll leave me to teach Fujisaki-chan?" Mitani drawled.

"We'll have plenty of fun together, Mitani-kun," the girl chirped, reaching over to grab the boy's arm. Mitani flinched at the sudden invasion of his personal space.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Toya-kun," Shindo said before turning around to try and re-insert himself between the other two. Akira bowed slightly in recognition and made his way off the school grounds. The less time spent at Haze school, the better.

* * *

AN: This took a while because life got in the way. Please continue to point out mistakes and errors, I do go back to my master story file and fix them. Firedraygon: According to cannon, he didn't start that until there was a sale at an electronics store. Pure Shikon: Well, I knew life was about to get in the way, and I didn't like leaving this part off, but I had to cut it there. Amiri: Nice to be appreciated, glad you noticed. Fey: I got a certain impression off Mitani, and I don't know how much of it I'll get to work into this story. I've given him a fuller back story in my mind but I don't want to force it into this storyline. Please keep any and all chibis under supervision, this is rated K after all. I'm glad you like how I've characterized everyone. Gracie: Don't worry about it. I'm happy, I'm writing, and I'm reading all sorts of things (and stopping to read reviews as they come to my e-mail). Ash of Mine, DeathGodGirl: Toya teleport power, away! 'snicker' So that's what the Meijin teaches at those study sessions. Qem: I don't think Toya appreciates being called a girl. He'd haul off and slap Mitani or Shindo if they even dared think it. Speaking of which, you might want to duck. 'whack' And Toya storms off… Wait I need you for the next chapter! akuma-river: I believe private school hold group meetings where the administrators are available to the parents for an annual report, similar to the school board meetings for public schools. I said PTA because school boards are a public institution and Kaio is private. Steeple333: I made Sai a bit of a traditionalist, there were kana symbols that Honinbo would have seen in their modern forms, but he prefers the 'old way' of writing. I'm putting Sai early in the Heian era, so the kana were coming into the mainstream while he was alive. 


	10. A Mother's Love

A Mother's Love

Akira closed his eyes so he couldn't see his hands shaking in anger, confusion, and pain. He was in his room, fairly messy in comparison to the rest of the high-class traditional home with the sliding cupboard doors left open to reveal a clutter of books, papers, and knickknacks he'd collected. Before him he had two go boards: on his right his formal practice board and to the left an abused folding board he'd used when he was much younger and never felt right about trashing. On his practice board he had the game Shindo had played at the tournament, next to it on the old folding board was the best game Shindo had played against him in the last week. He simply would not believe these two games came from the same hand. Shindo's comments after a game, and his opinions about a few games Akira had shown him from one of his father's books, were amazing. Sometimes he seemed unsure in odd places, but he'd come out with brilliant ideas and suggestions after a moment or two of thought. Clearly, the game on the formal goban was his full and true strength. Shindo was brilliant, so much so that it made Akira tremble with both fear and desire. He did not want to play this terrifying Shindo, but he needed to play against that impossible strength. He had to go through him, the path to the divine move traced through this obstacle, but Shindo would not play Akira with that strength.

Every time Shindo sat across a goban from him, he judged Toya Akira too little of a challenge to take seriously. He judged Toya Akira too insignificant to bother pitting his full strength against. What of Toya Meijin? He had not decided to show his game with Shindo to his son, and Akira would not ask. To ask would only confirm that Akira was so low he must beg for scraps at Shindo's feet.

Today he'd run into Tsutsui in a bookstore, and the older boy had been quite happy to talk to him. Apparently he was also frustrated with Shindo's Go. The four eyed boy had twitched and shuffled his feet as he admitted he wanted to play the Shindo from the tournament himself. He made excuses for it, saying it was not, perhaps, Shindo's fault and that he most defiantly didn't want Shindo to get sick again, but eventually he was forced to admit that he felt cheated. He'd asked if Akira had ever played the 'other Shindo.' Akira had bitterly spat out his reply, though exactly what words he'd used eluded his memory. The wide-eyed look and flustered shuffling Tsutsui had responded with seemed to imply Akira had cursed, but Akira had to admit he was too sheltered to know very many impolite words so his options were limited. Tsutsui had told Akira he'd seen Shindo do it one other time, against Kaga.

If he hadn't been so embarrassed by his earlier use of profanity, he'd probably had sputtered out something more intelligent and much less polite when his brain kicked up the dusty memory of Kaga Tetsuo and connected it with the loud boy he'd seen putting Shindo in a headlock. When pressed, Tsutsui told Akira the whole story of how Shindo came to play in the middle school tournament. Akira had asked the older boy to show him the game, but Tsutsui's mother had pulled him away before he was finished the review. Tsutsui had pointed the hands out on a blank page out of one of the kifu books, but the other boy had a hard time remembering the exact placement of stones without actually marking the places and moved slowly. From what Akira had seen Shindo had been toying with Kaga, shoving him around before giving him a taunting gift of a hand. One bad move gave Kaga about five points and the next three savagely ripped eight points out of the middle of what should have been well defended territory.

The board on Akira's left could not have been played by someone capable of moves as artful and savage as that. The board on his right could well have belonged to that person. The tournament game was kinder, but also twisted. It started out so poorly played that white's win seemed inevitable, but then black had shifted gears and white's defenses suddenly meant nothing. That board could have been played by his father if he had been recovering from some bad sushi: a weak start but once he got settled he bulldozed the truly weaker opponent.

Akira couldn't understand it. Kaga was nothing special. His father hadn't so much as hinted that he'd seen anything as impossible as Shindo's tournament match. What was so special about those two games that made Shindo pull out his full strength? One was a game played at a school festival and another in a middle school tournament. Both against people he'd never met before, so what was the trigger? One played in a haze of rage and insulted pride, the other through a haze of dizzy illness. Wait…

Shindo was desperate in that festival game not only to beat Kaga but also to humiliate him as retribution for his disrespect to the game and Shindo personally. At the tournament he'd had such a terrible start he was desperate to make a comeback due to the likelihood of Tsutsui loosing. Even with Akira's limited interaction and disinterest in asking Shindo about the other players, Akira knew the joke about the founder and club president being the weakest male member. In both cases there was something big on the line: his health, his friends, and his reputation were all threatened. That Mitani boy had put money on his private games with Shindo, and was possibly seeing a stronger hand because of it. That was the trigger, Akira was sure. Shindo didn't, or couldn't if Tsutsui was to be believed, play with that impossible strength unless he had to. Perhaps it pained him somehow? It didn't matter. Akira would have to challenge Shindo with something on the line to test his theory.

What could he put on the line? Shindo was already aware that Akira was irritated by his flakey behavior, so lost friendship didn't seem to be a good motivation. If it was Shindo would have played a stronger hand from the second game against Akira. Unfortunately, money wasn't an option. Akira might live in a comfortable upper class home, but he did not get a straight weekly allowance. That was part of the reason he hung out at his father's salon: he had a tab for sweets, takeout, and tea. He doubted Shindo would play well for an extra slice of strawberry shortcake. It had to be something that lit a passion, something that sparked whatever it was inside Shindo into action, something Shindo really cared about. His door slid open.

"Akira, I didn't know you were home," Akira's mother gasped. She stood in the open door, a vacuum in hand, and tilted her head to the side. "Aren't you usually hanging out with your friends about now?" She always spoke of Shindo in plural. It bugged Akira a little, but he understood her point: she wanted her son to have more friends his own age.

"Shindo couldn't make it today because the Go club he's in is training for an exhibition at a community center. They are trying to stir up more interest in primary school kids," he moped. He wanted Shindo to play him, not waste his time teaching fourth graders how to play on a nine by nine board.

"An exhibition while still in junior high school? They must be a very good club," she assured cheerily.

"Actually they are just getting organized. This is their first year, and somehow they got the local community center to let them come to a pre-arranged social event. They made a bunch of flyers but they are really just a little side table." Akira started cleaning away the stones so he could pick up the gobans and let his mother vacuum. He couldn't study the games anyway; they made him too angry when he looked at them. "It's nothing impressive."

"Well, maybe not to you, but if they worked so hard at it then it must be important to them. It is a lot of hard work to make something out of nothing." She brushed some hair that escaped her ponytail out of her hair and cleared away Akira's futon.

"That's what they keep saying," Akira admitted. "Shindo keeps talking about how they'll all be immortalized in the school records and that he doesn't mind playing endless teaching games because he has fun being a part of the club. I don't get it; he should be getting ready to take the pro test and looking ahead! It's not like he isn't good enough! He should be striving for the pros, working hard to rise up, not clinging to people who just started playing and trying to impress hopeless cases!" Akira ranted. "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to shout."

"Oh," she said suddenly, and grabbed her son's hand. "This is the same boy who was sick for a long time, right?"

"Yes," he nodded, wondering why his mother's expression had become so clouded.

"Akira…" she started, looking out the window for a moment before coming to a decision about something and leading him into the kitchen. "Let's have some tea, alright? I always put a pot on while I'm cleaning."

"Sure, mother," Akira mumbled, truly confused. When they had fixed their tea at the counter and sat down on the kitchen barstools she turned to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. The last time she'd been like this was when Akira was five and she was explaining why his goldfish was floating at the top of the bowl.

"Shindo lived in a hospital for a while, and he was very sick for a very long time, right?" He nodded again, not wanting to break his mother's momentum. "Sometimes when a person deals very closely with mortality they get scared of it. Nurses and doctors who are just starting out have to deal with it within themselves, and then they have to help their patients and younger colleagues deal with it. Your friend had to deal with the idea that he could die right now, not in sixty or seventy years when he was an old man. He had to deal with the idea that lots of people die before they get old."

"I know everyone dies someday," Akira pointed out. His mother sat back, shaking her head slowly.

"No, Akira, you don't. I don't mean to insult you. I know you are old enough to know in your mind that everyone dies, but it's a different thing to know that in your heart as well. I think your friend just wants to leave a mark. He wants to do something for the first time, something people will notice, or something he can be remembered for. Becoming a pro and working up the ranks would take a long time. In a little while I'm sure he will calm down and realize he has his whole life ahead of him, but for right now he is being a bit impatient and rushing to get something done right away, don't you think?" She sipped her tea to hide whatever twitch of expression threatened to come forward.

"I don't think he'd…," Akira broke off and tried again. "He doesn't sound scared, just excited. He's always pushing for more, but he won't consider the pros…"

"He's pushing for a goal closer at hand," she soothed. "The pros are too far ahead, much too distant to consider. He doesn't have long term plans, though to be fair most boys your age do not have many long term plans. He has to sort this out for himself, that's part of growing up, but the best thing for anyone in that position is a few good friends by their side." Her warm, dark eyes met his aqua green and willed him to understand. "Now you have to decide what you are going to do about it."

"What?" he asked, startled by the sudden declaration.

"I don't know much about Go, but I do know people. You have two general choices, assuming you want to keep your friendship. Either you can leave him behind and ensure he chases you, or follow him down his little detour and give him a good shove from behind."

"I don't… How would…," he stuttered. This was the most he'd talked to his mother in a long while. He'd forgotten she was a therapist before she married his father.

"If you are resolved to pull him into becoming a proper Go player you can help him in two ways. If you take the pro test this year you can pull him along after you, provided you think you can pull him along and come up with a way of making him chase after you that isn't taunting. If you go into Kaio's Go club you can follow along beside him a while and give him a hard shove toward the pros at an opportune moment. In either case, you will fail if he doesn't have any interest in becoming a pro Go player, at which point you have to accept that just because someone is good at something that does not mean that they want to do it for a living," she explained. Akira sipped his tea for a while, thinking hard.

"It sounds easy when you say that, but I don't know how I could get him interested. He always changes the subject when I talk about becoming a pro," Akira sighed.

"You don't want to be too pushy if he isn't interested, and you might have to give up." Akira's head snapped up at that, a deep desperation spreading through him. His mother read it in an instant. "I don't mean give up being his friend, just on making him a pro. If he hasn't even considered it or if it's just that he hasn't planned that far ahead then it's fine, but if he honestly doesn't want it then you have no right to force it on him." 

"He wouldn't chase me," Akira admitted, hanging his head in defeat. "He'd congratulate me, but I don't think he'd come after me just because I became a pro."

"Then you can go after him, and maybe both of you will be better for it," she assured, punctuating her point with a sharp tap on the countertop. "It might do you some good to slow down and try something new."

"You want me to transfer to Haze?"

"I want you to join Kaio's Go club. Try to do the sort of thing Shindo is doing: have fun and make some more friends. If he can do it then so can you, right?" she encouraged, urging him with a vague hand gesture.

"Kaio's Go club is big and has been around for decades, I don't think I can do what he is doing there."

"You can do similar things, though, right? Play teaching games and work to help out the club," she wondered.

"I don't know if the other members would like that."

"Some of the kids might mistake your pride for arrogance, but you are a good person. I'm sure if you try to be helpful most of them will appreciate it. The dean wanted you to join, remember?"

"I suppose," Akira mumbled uncomfortably. He couldn't count the number of kids who had walked away from him when they realized how strong he was. On the other hand, his mother made a lot of sense. Shindo was passionate about the Go club. If he could tap into that somehow he might be able to play Shindo at full strength and please his mother at the same time.

* * *

AN: I love my reviews; it's always nice to see them in my inbox. I got lots of comments about Akira Toya's character, and I feel mildly guilty for not getting this chapter out faster considering how glowing they all are. It's been spring break, and that means I've actually developed a social life, and I ended a lagging relationship with my now former boyfriend.

Here are the statistics! Words: 30919. Chapters: 10. Reviews: 139. Hits: 25004. C2s: 33. Favorites: 82. Alerts: 145.


	11. Sai and His Boy

**11. Sai and His Boy**

Hikaru opened up his Panda Net client and waited for the program to boot up. Sai was doing his usual pre-game celebration in the corner as Hikaru selected the ghost's user name and logged on. Sai had been bugging him all day about how many games Hikaru was playing without him. Sai didn't make demands like this as often as he used to. Once, because Sai had demanded they play, Hikaru had tried to get to his laptop and fallen before he got across the room. It tore out the IV and caused a severe rift between the pair. Since then Sai tended to restrain himself, but now that Hikaru was out of the hospital his old habits were coming back. A thousand years of being utterly obsessed with any one thing ingrained certain behaviors in a person, after all, and Hikaru couldn't blame Sai too much for enjoying his time on the web. It was the only place anyone other than Hikaru was aware of his existence.

"Look, Sai, its Ogata 9-dan," Hikaru said.

"Do you mean the rude man from before? Oh, Hikaru, you have to let me play him! A professional player in a duel of honor just as it was when I was alive…" Sai started off on a grand proclamation of Ogata's imminent scolding as Hikaru sent the match request. He put in a slightly longer time limit than they usually used, the pro matches tended to take a while and he wanted to be sure there wouldn't be any grumbling about why Ogata lost after the match.

"He accepted the match request," Hikaru interrupted. "We got white. He sent a chat message saying 'An arrogant boy was boasting about you. I intend to bring you down.' Should I say anything back?"

"17-16. I'll speak with my moves," Sai declared. The excitable man was now sitting calmly at Hikaru's goban, looking at the laptop screen with the intensity of a hunting lion. The game progressed quickly after the first two moves until all the star points save tengen were taken. Ogata then launched a vicious attack, diving into a fierce battle with several moves attacking the upper right corner. Sai calmly brushed off the initial attack, refusing to fall for the first round of traps, which even Hikaru could see through. The professional seemed to realize the bold moves wouldn't faze this opponent and applied more finesse. Unfortunately for him, Sai's decimation of the initial burst had left Ogata on the defensive. The upper right was a shining beacon on white light, slowly creeping over the board and eating at the weak positions Ogata had taken. The lower right was a solid wall of black stone, but it wasn't long before the top half of the board was solidly dominated by Sai.

Suddenly Ogata jumped to the left side in a place Hikaru couldn't begin to understand. It looked like suicide, but Sai was cautious about it. Four moves later Hikaru realized it was the start of an intricate trap with no less than three dangerous lures. Sai defused them in turn, folding one harmlessly back on itself, stepping into the other side and making life in an unexpected shape after the trap had been sprung, and drawing the third out into a useless shape. When the battle was over Ogata was silent for a long time. After a long interval a defensive move in the lower right appeared. A message followed soon after.

'I underestimated you,' was displayed on the side as Sai made an aggressive move against a shape in the low center. 'Who are you?' appeared, followed immediately by a resignation notice.

"Do you want me to answer him, Sai?" Hikaru asked.

"I am myself, I said all I had to say in the game," the ghost said, not even looking at the screen anymore. He was gazing lazily out the window, calm and content now that his delayed justice has been served. Hikaru smiled, glad that Sai was happy.

"You won by a landslide," Hikaru giggled, logging off the server. He moved to sit next to the ghost. "He's going to be pissed later though. He didn't give you enough credit in the beginning, and once he's done reviewing that game he's going to want a proper rematch."

"I will look forward to it, then. You should review the game, it was a good one," Sai urged, his excitability coming back quickly.

"I would have totally missed that pincer thing he did over here," Hikaru said, quickly tossing the stones onto the board. "I would have moved here, but you moved lower."

"The higher point would have exposed you to attack on the left of the shape," Sai sighed.

"I see that now, but at the time… What if Ogata had done this?" Hikaru nudged a stone over two points.

"That would have helped his shape on the right, but I would have moved further in and destroyed the shape to the left before he could make life," Sai explained, moving his fan over the board as they went back and forth over the board. It was much simpler to shift stones around on the board than to constantly undo and redo moves on the laptop. The panda-glGo client was set to automatically save all of Sai's kifu, something the ghost was very happy about. It was a tangible proof of his hand's existence, and the files were small enough that thousands were needed to fill one backup CD. If the files were larger Hikaru would have had a problem keeping all of them, but as it was he'd only had to make two CDs in the two and a half years since he'd met Sai.

"The tournament is tomorrow," Hikaru said when their breakdown of Ogata's game was over. "It's going to be great. We're going to win!"

"Don't fall into the trap Ogata did. The other boys will be doing their very best," Sai admonished. "You don't know how good they are going to be, and Tsutsui-kun and Mitani-kun aren't as polished as you are."

"Tsutsui-san will do alright, and if he doesn't then Mitani-kun can pick up the second win."

"He's still over aggressive. He refuses to back down, even when the battle is lost. Akira-kun would beat him easily."

"Well, Toya-kun isn't going to be at the tournament. Even if he was, or someone like him, I'd be the one playing first board," Hikaru ensured. "I'm still down by five in my games against him. That win yesterday wasn't very solid."

"I think he's noticed I've stopped helping you play against him," Sai worried.

"But I'm off that medicine, so I can concentrate a lot better. I know I'm reading another two moves ahead at least since I stopped taking that stuff." Hikaru pulled off his shirt, pointing out the nearly-healed spot where the tube for his pump had been. "Nothing to force me to slow down."

"Doesn't that mean you have to be more aware of yourself until you've finished healing?" Hikaru didn't answer until he'd finished pulling his nightshirt on.

"I still can't play some sports, but Go is played sitting down. How hard my brain is working doesn't matter."

"Are you sure?" Sai worried.

"Sure I'm sure. So stop nagging!" Hikaru flopped down into bed.

"Alright. Good night, Hikaru," Sai smiled, settling down in the corner for the night.

"Goodnight, Sai," Hikaru replied before snapping off the light.

* * *

A/N: this chapter might suddenly be completely rewritten in the next few days.


End file.
